


i'm sorry i broke it(never forgive me)

by gay_english_nerd



Series: The Pugilist [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, All the ships if you squint, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Bittersweet Ending, Emotional Manipulation, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Hallucinations, Ladybug is Evil, Sort of a Songfic, but mostly ladynoir
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 42,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25619347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gay_english_nerd/pseuds/gay_english_nerd
Summary: Marinette had had the Miraculous since childhood, and when she moved to Paris at 7 a series of events led to her friendship with Adrien Agreste. Now, though, Emilie is missing, and her boss and Adrien's dad is asking her to join his team to rescue her from the evil Order of the Guardians. And how is Marinette supposed to refuse?ORWhat if three miraculous were lost, instead of just the two? What if the third miraculous was the Ladybug? What if Ladybug was on Hawkmoth's side?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki
Series: The Pugilist [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857064
Comments: 73
Kudos: 128





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! This work is an exciting one for me, because I've been working on it for a while. It's finished, so I'll be posting on a weekly schedule. It's also going to have a sequel, but I have not completed that one yet. The title is a lyric from the song The Pugilist, one of my absolute favorites, which is also what I named the series, cause... yeah. Anyways, enjoy!
> 
> Translations:   
> Chá kàn- 查看- look!

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Sabine knew how it had gotten to that point, sure, but it was supposed to be different. They were not supposed to be moving to Paris to start a boulangerie while dragging along a seven-year-old daughter, especially not one who  _ refused _ to speak French. 

God, they had had plans. They were going to live in China for a few years, so Sabine could support her parents, before moving on to raise their future children in Paris. Keyword: future. The plan was not to have a beautiful, incredible, bundle of joy while they were still in China. They never planned for Tom’s business there to take off, and they never planned to stay that long. They had wanted to raise Marinette in  _ Paris _ , after all. 

Starting a business in Paris- a bakery, especially- was incredibly difficult. Sabine knew it. She knew her husband’s talent as well, but they had both been struggling, working long hours and finishing up tired and weary. Sabine found herself at his side during the days as often as she could, but upstairs in their apartment their child needed tending to. They were falling behind the swift current of the businesses in Paris, but she would never say anything, not to her sweet husband, who fought for his dreams, no matter how difficult. 

No, she had vowed to stay silent on this. 

Still, they were struggling. Marinette made it as easy as a young child could, but she still needed to be occupied, and she still needed to learn to use languages other than her native Mandarin. Sabine thought they were lucky that their little daughter loved to draw and design so much, and had picked up such an inexpensive hobby- that is, until she tried to turn the window curtains into a dress with a pair of scissors she found. 

They were sinking, and they had no one to catch them. Marinette needed more stimulation- she was gifted, but they had no fabric for her other than the curtains, and the business needed more attention they couldn’t give it, not with their young daughter in the house. 

It came as a miracle, then, when Marinette had spotted the ad on their old television. “Mama! Mama! Chá kàn！”

Sabine did come and look.  _ Gabriel _ , the fashion brand, was holding a design contest for teenagers, it seemed. On the screen, an imposing man and a beautiful young woman stood next to each other, both wearing clothing emblazoned with the signature butterfly logo. 

Sabine blinked. She recognized that woman- it was Emilie Graham de Vanily, her roommate and best friend from when she was an exchange student at Paris Descartes University. She also vaguely recognized the man- he had been Emilie’s boyfriend when she had met her, though Sabine had never taken a liking to him. 

She was interrupted from her thoughts by her daughter tugging on her sleeve. “Mama! Mama! Wŏ rù mǎ？Can I do it? P-please?” The girl stumbled over her words as she spoke the foreign tongue, and Sabine thought back to the advertisement. It was for teenagers only, but it wouldn’t be a bad time to reconnect with an old friend. 

She patted her daughter's head, nodding. “Of course, Marinette. Make sure you turn in your best work- this is the  _ Gabriel _ brand. Have you heard of them?”

Marinette shook her head, wide-eyed. “Well, I’ll just have to take you window shopping sometime this week. How does that sound?”

The girl squealed with joy, rushing over to her stack of paper and colored pencils, beginning to work. Sabine sighed, and began composing her message to Emilie. 

* * *

It was a few weeks before Sabine heard back from Emilie. The response was a request to meet at a nearby coffee shop for afternoon tea and to catch up. Sabine immediately accepted. 

What she hadn’t expected, though, was for Emilie to try to convince her to let Marinette live with them, the Agrestes. 

“Your daughter is seven, right? I have a son her age.” Emilie had Marinette’s drawing on the table next to her coffee, hair up in a messy bun. Sabine was struck with an image back from University, when they used to study together and Emilie would become so engrossed she’d stay up all night. 

“I… yes, but that doesn’t explain why-”

Emilie picked up the drawing, studying it. “She’s an impressive artist, Sabine. And she speaks Mandarin too! Oh, Gabe would love to meet her.”

Sabine smiled tightly. “I still don’t understand why…”

Emilie set the drawing down, looking at Sabine fully for the first time in their meeting. She had bags under her eyes, and her clothes didn’t fit as well as they did before- she had lost weight. Emilie furrowed her brows. Was she truly denying that she was struggling?

“Sabine… You need the time to run the bakery. You need to be able to get it started without having to also raise Marinette. I’m offering for her to come to live with us for a little while, just until you guys get back up on your feet. God knows my son needs more friends who aren’t Chloé.”

Sabine stared. “I… I mean, We’re perfectly fine, Emilie, I appreciate it, but…”

“Listen, Sabine. I see how tired you are. You’re not holding up, and at this pace, forgive me for saying it, but it sounds like you’ll be out of business in a month. I don’t want to let that happen to you. It sounds like your husband is talented.” Emilie fixed her kind eyes on Sabine’s shocked face. “Marinette is clearly talented, and while she’s with us, she can learn about fashion from one of the best fashion houses in Paris. They could practice Mandarin and French together, and Marinette would have access to the best tutors in the country- of course, if you don’t want to send her to public school. You could visit her whenever, and she could come visit whenever. Seriously, Sabine, it would be no trouble. Consider it?”

Sabine frowned. She didn’t want to send her daughter off. She loved her with everything in her, but how could she make Marinette keep living like she was? Emilie was right- if they couldn’t give the boulangerie all they had, it would go under, and then both of Marinette’s parents would be unemployed. That wasn’t an option. 

“I’ll… I’ll have to talk to Tom.”

* * *

Of course, Fate has its ways of pushing people together, and Marinette was living in the Agreste Manor by the end of the month. This didn’t entirely go as planned either, however. For, while it only took a few months for the bakery’s sweets to be some of the most sought after in Paris, Marinette never entirely switched back to living with her parents. She found herself waking up in her parent’s bakery to the aroma of yeasty bread and fresh pastries, going to public

school, and walking home to the Agreste mansion, where she’d tell Adrien about her day as he listened with wide eyes. She’d then follow Emilie around, greedily taking in information about the fashion and design world. She spent her afternoons surrounded by fabric, designing in her custom sketchbook before returning to talk to Adrien. Soon, she picked up some of his hobbies as well- she attended fencing class with him on a semi-regular basis, and she had picked up piano from spending so many hours in his room. Gabriel had insisted she be signed up for gymnastics, and she joined the art club at her school.

Sabine didn’t entirely mind, though. Marinette was happy, and she had started speaking French- that was a plus. She’d also become incredibly good at English, as she tagged along at photoshoots, so she was certainly  _ learning _ , and she had a support system that was rapidly growing. Sabine loved her daughter, and if keeping her happy meant giving her, well,  _ this _ , Sabine would do it all over again.

And that is the story of how Marinette Dupain-Cheng grew up side-by-side with Adrien Agreste. The story doesn’t end here, though. It doesn’t end with their friendship or the Agreste family's unusual approval of Marinette. No, it just begins there. 


	2. The Recruitment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette helps Adrien escape to school, and some unexpected consequences arise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! First of all, I should warn you that this chapter is also part of the second prologue(the next one will be as well). I had to split it up because of the length. The bulk of the story should start at chapter 4.  
> Second, I completely forgot last time due to panicking about posting my story, but thank you so much to the amazing Khanofallorcs for being my beta reader for my entire story! I owe him so much :).  
> Finally, enjoy! Thanks so much for sticking with it to the second chapter!

Marinette walked to the Agreste mansion with a bounce in her step. The first day of the school year had been surprisingly enjoyable, despite having Chloé in her class again. She had made a new friend, she thought, and Alya seemed incredibly nice, and brave, too. She just couldn’t wait to tell Adrien about it! 

She sighed a little bit, her step faltering. She hadn’t been able to properly talk to Adrien in forever, even though she’d spent all summer learning about different types of fabrics under the interns of  _ Gabriel _ . Every second she wasn’t at the company or at photoshoots, she was at his house, talking about mundane things since he hardly ever responded. 

Marinette didn’t know what to do.

“It’s like he forgets how much I loved her too. She took me in when I was in need- she was like a second mother to me, Tik. And I know it’s not the same, but I want him to realize that I’m here for him, you know?”

Tikki sighed from Marinette’s handbag. She’d heard Marinette rant about this more than once, and every time she’d given the same advice. 

“Marinette, you can’t force him to talk to you. All you can do is be there for him. Do what you can.” Tikki nuzzled her holder’s cheek, and Marinette sighed. 

“I know. I just- I care about him, Tikki. He’s hurting- of course he is- but he won’t let anyone help him. And Gabriel won’t even-” Tikki watched the tell-tale signs of Marinette’s anger growing as she huffed and kicked the pavement.

She decided to interrupt before Marinette accidentally hurt herself. “You know, he loves you too.” Marinette glanced down at her kwami, disbelief written on her face. “I’m serious, Marinette! I was there when you two met, don’t forget that- he was so sad before you came along.”

Marinette offered her kwami a small smile. “But he doesn’t love me the way I love him, does he?” She heaved a sigh before squaring her shoulders. “Sorry. You’re right. I gotta go in there, don’t I?”

Tikki looked up, finding that they had arrived at the massive gates guarding the mansion. She nodded, and Marinette pressed the buzzer, signaling her presence. The robotic camera appeared, glancing around. 

“It’s me, Nathalie. You can let me in.”

“Oh, hello, Marinette.” The camera spoke in a fuzzy interpretation of Nathalie’s voice, making Marinette bristle. “Do you have your schoolwork?”

Marinette gestured to the bag slung over her shoulder, nodding. “Of course, Nathalie.”

The gates swung open, and Marinette stepped forward, walking purposefully towards the mansion. Once she was inside, she walked past Nathalie and up the staircase. She abstained from knocking and pushed his door open, loudly dropping her fencing stuff on the floor to announce her presence. 

As she had expected, Adrien didn’t even flinch- he sat at his computer, staring at the desktop photo of his mother. Marinette sighed. 

“... Adrien?” She approached him slowly, before backing up again and flopping spread-eagle on his bed. Lifting her head, she saw that her antics had a small effect on him. The corners of his mouth had quirked up. A win for her, she thought. 

“Hey, Marinette.” He didn’t leave his computer, but he had turned slightly towards her. 

“I have so much to tell you about my day! How about I go first, then you go. Then, we’ll do our work. Deal?” She didn’t wait for his confirmation before she began speaking. “So, I thought today was going to suck, ‘cause Chloé was in my class again, and she was in my seat again- sorry, I know you’re friendly with her- but there’s a new girl! She’s super nice, and brave, too. She stood up to Chloé, and we’re friends now! We made plans to hang out this weekend- her name’s Alya.” 

Adrien had completely spun to face her now, and he had an odd expression on his face. “You… you made a new friend?” 

“Yeah! You should meet her, Adrien. You’d like her. She wants to be a journalist.”

Adrien steeled his jaw. He was happy for Marinette, sure, but if she started hanging out with this new friend more than she hung out with him, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. Marinette was his only friend. Forget Chloé, Marinette actually cared about him, and he was not losing someone else. He couldn’t lose her.

“So, Adrien. Tell me about your day!” 

Adrien blurted the idea out before he had fully thought it through. “I’m going to public school.” 

Marinette froze. “You’re… what?” 

“That is,” he rushed out, “If you want me there.”

When they were kids, Marinette had proposed the idea over and over again, begging him to join her at school so that she could have another friend. He had always refused, not only  because he wasn’t allowed, but because he was scared- he knew he wasn’t cut out for the people in the real world. Marinette had eventually dropped it, and he’d made no effort to escape his homeschooling since. 

However, looking at Marinette’s shocked face, he realized his idea might not have been as good as he thought it was. Did Marinette not want him at school anymore? She could’ve just been saying it in the first place to be nice, and Adrien didn’t want to make her unhappy- maybe this was a horrible idea…

“Adrien! That’s so great! Yes, of course I want you there- you’ll get to meet Alya, and I think you and Nino could be great friends- oh my god, how did you get your dad to agree?”

Adrien’s face flushed. He really,  _ really _ , hadn’t thought that through. “I, uh, haven’t? But Chloé has told me before she can get me into school in a few hours if I ask- so I’ll do that- and then I’ll show up? He won’t want to cause a scene…”

Adrien looked at Marinette for approval and found her with a devious smirk on her face. “Usually I’d be against something so… subversive and Chloé-cooperative, but this looks like what the doctor ordered. Let’s do it, hmm?” 

Adrien nodded, typing out the text to Chloé and receiving a reply immediately. 

“She’s in.”

* * *

The two worked on their schoolwork, Adrien’s assigned from Nathalie, while they hashed out the rest of their plan. They decided that it would be best for Marinette to meet him halfway instead of at the mansion so as to not arouse suspicion, and then they’d work to make sure he got into the school together. 

Yawning, Marinette pushed her schoolwork away before glancing around the room, her eyes landing on two plastic swords she had gotten him last Christmas. She jumped to her feet, grabbing one and tossing the other to Adrien. 

“En garde, Adrien,” She called, watching him scramble to his feet with his sword. 

“Oh, it’s on.”

Marinette parried an attack on her left side from Adrien’s sword before attacking, completing the parry-riposte only to have it blocked by Adrien. She stepped back, jumping on the couch as he lunged at her. She made a jump for the climbing wall, clambering up it as Adrien laughed at her from below. As she reached the top, she threw her sword and jumped, catching it in midair and landing in a perfect stance, lunging at Adrien from behind and touching him with the tip of the sword. 

“I win.” She smiled smugly, removing her hairbands and shaking out her hair. Adrien grinned, laughing more than he had in months. 

“Marinette! How many times do I have to tell you that that’s not how you fence?” 

She shrugged. “It’s more fun that way, isn’t it?” 

He smiled at her, and her breath caught- his hair was disheveled in a way he rarely let it be, and his smile wasn’t his model smile anymore. She let herself relax. He was happy right now, and that’s what mattered. 

A knock at the door startled them both, and Nathalie stepped in the room. Her eyebrows raised at the swords in their hands. “I see you’ve both been... hard at work. Marinette, it is time for you to return to the bakery.” She turned and left the room then, leaving Marinette to gather her stuff.

“Ah, well. Adrien, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” 

“This… this was fun, Marinette. Thank you.” He smiled at her, and she launched herself into his arms, enveloping him in a hug.

“I… I’m here for you, Adrien. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She picked up her stuff, hurrying out of Adrien’s room and following Nathalie to the waiting car. Her face was flushed from the sudden hug, but she brushed it away as she relaxed into the plush seats. After all, she had a very important day tomorrow. 

* * *

Marinette awoke, groaning, to Tikki tugging on her blankets. She checked the time.  _ Late. _ Shrieking, she stumbled out of her bed, tripping over her blankets on the way over to the closet. 

“Tikki! Why didn’t you wake me earlier? I’m late and Adrien’s not going to make it to school and he’s going to hate me forever and then we’ll never have three kids and a hamster and I mean not that I want that but he’ll never want to be my friend again! Tikki! What do I do?”

Tikki laughed. “First of all, don’t deny your massive crush on him. Also, he knows you’re chronically late! He won’t be mad! Just hurry up!”

Marinette squealed and doubled her speed, getting dressed and ready in record time. She shot out of the door, Tikki in her purse, and was racing down the streets towards their rendezvous point before she could even grab breakfast. Oh, well. It was for the cause, after all. 

She stopped, panting, before Adrien, who was staring at her in amusement. “Hey there, Marinette. Did you wake up late?”

She shot him an odd look. “Why? How did you know?”

He chuckled, taking her arm and tugging her along towards the school. “Other than the fact that every story you tell begins with you waking up late? Your pigtails are lopsided. Usually, you pay more attention to detail, Mari.” He smirked at her as she yelped, adjusting her pigtails until he gave her a thumbs up. They continued walking briskly towards the school.

“Alright, that’s Alya over there, with the reddish hair, and that’s Nino with the cap. We’re going to try to join them and blend in, okay? You brought a sweatshirt or something, right?”

Adrien opened his mouth, but closed it, looking sheepish. “Uh… no. I didn’t really think of that.”

Marinette gave him a playful glare. “... Adrien, you’re literally on that billboard, and you did your hair the way they make you for shoots. What did you expect, exactly?” She sighed, shaking her head at the boy’s shrug. “Okay, we’ll just steal Nino’s cap. Though that might draw more attention than you would…” She took his hand, darting out into the schoolyard and dragging him to Alya and Nino. She snatched the cap off his head, only giving him a second to exclaim “hey!” before shoving Adrien between the three of them in an impromptu circle. 

“Uh… hey, Marinette. What’s, um. What’s going on here?” Alya inquired, staring at the boy, who was ducking down under the cap and hiding his face. 

“Yeah, why’d you take my cap? I need that back, bro. Not cool.”

“No- wait, Nino, please, can he have it until he goes to class, please? This is a subversive operation to get him out of his house and he needs a disguise.” Marinette practically begged the boy, but he seemed to relent. 

“Ah, ‘Nette. You know I can’t stand your puppy eyes. I- just get us to class soon, alright? Who is this kid, anyways, to need a disguise?”

“Adrien? Wanna talk to them? This is Nino, and this is Alya, and guys, this is the guy I live with, sorta.”

“Hi. I’m…” Adrien lifted his head, taking comfort in Marinette’s bright blue eyes before turning to face them. “I’m Adrien. Nice to meet you.”

Marinette lunged at her friend to keep her from screaming. “Not here! Come on, we have to get to class. Let’s get him inside, and then we’ll talk about this, okay. Now come on!” 

She tugged the cap back down over his perfect hair and over his eyes, shading Adrien’s face, before pulling them all up the stairs and into the classroom. She shut the door behind them, glaring at it critically. 

“Okay, take a seat, guys. Adrien, you can sit next to Nino. I’ll take Chloé’s seat for now, and Alya, you can take Sabrina’s. We should talk.”

“Yeah, girl, seriously. I’m all for secret missions and superhero stuff, but why are we sneaking a supermodel out of his house to… go to school?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “It’s just Adrien. He’s no one special- I mean, not that he’s not special, but he’s not special-special- he’s just a normal kid- I mean-” Marinette took a deep breath. “We had to sneak him out of his house because he’s never been to public school before, and his dad won’t let him. Chloé enrolled him for us, so it was my job to get him here without his bodyguard or Nathalie finding out. So far, so good.” She grinned, taking the cap off of Adrien’s head and placing it back on Nino’s head. 

“Wait, so you’ve never been to school before? What about friends, bro?”

Adrien chuckled, albeit sadly. “Marinette’s my friend. Also Chloé. That’s about it though.”

“No offense to Marinette, but you need some new friends. I’m Nino.” Nino held out his hand and Marinette squealed. This day was going perfectly so far!

“I’m also a new kid. Alya, as Marinette mentioned. I’ve only known her for a day, but she talks about you a lot.” Marinette gave the girl a slight shove and she laughed, holding out her hand for Adrien to shake as well. 

Marinette, of course, was beaming. Adrien grinned back up at her, opening his mouth to thank her, but he was interrupted by the door opening and Chloé, in all her haughtiness, walking in. 

“Adrikins!” She shrieked, tackling the poor boy. “I see you didn’t mess it up like you usually do, Dupain-Cheng. Get out of my seat.”

Marinette cocked a brow at her bully. “Chloé, this has been my seat for years, for the last time. I’m not planning on moving.”

“Now, listen here, Dupain-Trash-”

“Chloé! Leave Marinette alone.” Adrien had stood up and was staring at the blonde, who ‘hmphed’ and backed down, glaring at Marinette as she went. 

“Thanks, Adrien.” Adrien grinned back up at her, but turned to the front of the class as Mlle. Bustier walked in. 

Marinette smiled. This was going incredibly well. 

* * *

Of course, however smooth-sailing the school day was going, there was no escaping the fact that Gabriel Agreste would not be happy with his son’s actions. He had left a note, but after  leaving, he had shut off his phone. At the end of the school day, Marinette and Adrien exited to find the armored limousine waiting. 

They looked at each other, terror written on their faces, before Marinette steeled herself. 

“I’ll go with you. I have to go to the mansion anyway. You won’t be alone- I’ll stick up for you. Promise.”

Adrien nodded, grabbing her hand and squeezing it as he walked towards the car. He opened the door, and they both slid in, the darkness of the vehicle hiding the blush on Marinette’s face. As the massive gate rose in front of them, they glanced at each other. 

“Hey. We’ll be fine. I promise.” Marinette smiled at him, and he smiled weakly back, before they opened their car doors and stepped out, making their way up the great stone to the door. 

They pushed it open. In the entrance hall, Nathalie stood next to Gabriel Agreste, both of whom were staring coldly at the two. 

After a minute of silence, Gabriel spoke. “Marinette. I’ll speak to you in my office.”

* * *

Gabriel had never been one for charity. Emilie had been in charge of the advertisements for competitions for the brand, and she was the one who made the donations and visited the hospitals. Gabriel never would be caught dead kissing babies, but Emilie? That was her calling. 

It was part of the reason he hadn’t said no to taking Marinette in. He hadn’t really had much of a say, of course- if it was entirely up to him, he never would've offered- but Emilie wanted to. Emilie begged. Emilie looked at their son and pleaded with Gabriel, telling him how nice it would be for Adrien to have a friend. She told him how talented the girl was, and how this girl  _ needed _ them, and how they could make a difference. 

And Gabriel caved. Not for the girl, of course, but for the excited squeal Emilie made when he said yes, and how happy she looked whenever Marinette was over. He really hadn’t expected it to be a lifetime deal, but Emilie- Emilie  _ loved _ Marinette. She viewed her as a second child, and even when Marinette’s bakery was out of trouble, it was  _ Emilie _ who insisted that she stay for extra tutoring sessions, for lessons in the fashion industry, for sleepovers. Emilie was the one who helped Marinette decorate the spare bedroom to make it a place she could stay.

Gabriel would’ve cut off contact with the girl after Emilie’s “disappearance”. It was his plan, really, except Marinette was… contumacious, and, more importantly, he had realized something else about the girl. 

She had the Ladybug Miraculous. 

He was shocked he had gotten so lucky- it had been as simple as looking out the window at the right moment and glimpsing her kwami as she walked to the front steps. He had one half of what he needed, right in his grasp. All he needed was the Black Cat and he’d have Emilie back. It was too perfect. 

For months he debated how best to get it from her. He could steal it in her sleep, but he knew she was smart enough to realize it was missing- and, if a supervillain like Hawkmoth appeared so soon after, she’d work to get it back. 

So he realized he needed to coerce it from her- but, how? She was strong-willed, passionate, everything he didn’t want from a servant, but he figured it would have to do. With the right amount of trickery and the correct timing, he could make it work. 

He had to. 

“Marinette. I know you helped and encouraged my son to escape this morning.”

Marinette stayed silent. She had years of practice of dealing with Gabriel Agreste, but that didn’t make him any less intimidating. She kept her gaze focused directly ahead as he circled her, coming to a stop in front of her. 

“I’m going to keep this short, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. You are aware I hold your future in my hand like a fragile bird? Why would you risk it for my son?”

Marinette gulped, but she steeled herself. Gabriel Agreste was nothing but a bully- he was no worse than Chloé. She’d dealt with bullies. 

“Adrien deserves to go to school if he’d like to. His happiness is important. And, for your information, I’ve been told that I could make it in any fashion house. While I appreciate your help and your expertise, I’m talented on my own as well, M. Agreste.”

Gabriel smirked to himself. Her fire and passion were commendable, and this, it seemed, was the moment he was looking for. Marinette had pledged herself to his son and his son’s happiness- if he could spin this right…

“Well done. You’ve passed.”

Marinette blinked at the imposing man in front of her. “Ex...excuse me?”

“You’ve proved yourself, Marinette. I believe I can trust you now.”

_ It took you six years? _ Marinette crossed her arms, staring at Gabriel as he turned towards the painting of Emile. 

“You see, you’ve just put my son above your career in fashion, something you’ve shown devotion to. I believe that warrants my trust, and,” He ran his hand down the painting pensively, “I believe I should let you in on a little secret of mine, Ms. Ladybug.”

Marinette shook her head rapidly, stumbling over a coherent response. “Wha- what? Ladybug? Who’s Ladybug? Wha- M. Agreste, what are you-”

“I’m sure you remember Emilie, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. I’m sure you remember when she disappeared,  _ non _ ?”

All Marinette could do was nod mutely as the man spoke, gazing at the painting in front of him. 

“I have a secret, you see. Emilie didn’t disappear or run away. She was kidnapped, stolen, taken from us.”

“M. Agreste! I- Emilie was… Are you sure? How do you know? Does Adrien know?”

“No, he does not. You will not be telling him.” He fixed her with an icy glare, and she gulped, clenching her fists at her sides. “It’s a secret for a reason, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. You see, she wasn’t kidnapped by any ordinary organization- and that is where you come in.”

“She was a Miraculous holder, like you. Don’t try to hide it- you’re a terrible liar, frankly, and I’ve seen your kwami. She held the Peacock, and, well, you know what she was like. Tenacious, strong-willed, bullheaded, but… good. So good.”

“She was on a mission when she disappeared. In Tibet, but you know that. She had been alerted of a darker force, a magical force, one that she was determined to stop. I couldn’t keep her from it.”

Gabriel crossed the room to his tablet, tapping a few icons silently as he raised his research to the front. Marinette stayed tense, turning to face him as she watched, prepared to fight. 

“This force was the Order of the Guardians.” With a swipe, the research he’d collected in the past year projected above his tablet, and Marinette gasped. 

“Long ago, they were a force for good, I believe. Your kwami may be able to confirm that for me. However…” Gabriel sighed, swiping through the hologram as it showed pictures of the Miraculous- pictures of Miraculous Tikki had never even told Marinette about. “I believe something caused the organization to go astray. I think that your Miraculous, along with Emilie’s, were never supposed to be in your possession- they were lost, somehow, and the organization has become corrupt looking for them. Emilie… she was  _ so good. _ She went to the Order with a plea for them to stop their corruption and their evil, and with a promise of her Miraculous if she believed them to be good, but they just… they just  _ took _ her.”

Gabriel’s voice sounded raw, and Marinette covered her dry sob with her hand. They couldn’t’ve taken Emilie… Not  _ Emilie. _

“Well. I believe she’s still alive, somewhere. And I believe that they still have her and that they’re still committing the atrocities that she set out to make them stop… in fact, I  _ know _ they are, I just don’t have any proof.” Gabriel grimaced slightly, but Marinette didn’t notice. 

“What… What do you want me to do? Why did you call me here?”

“Ah. Yes. Well, you proved today that you value my son- and my son’s happiness- above anything else. You’ve seen how he is without his mother. And if I’m not mistaken, you loved Emilie as well, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. So I have a proposal.”

“I also have a Miraculous. It’s the Miraculous of the Butterfly, and it can be used to make other people into your heroes while they are feeling a strong emotion. I need you, the Ladybug’s, alliance if I ever want to save Emilie.”

Marinette frowned, stroking Tikki’s head as she remained hidden in her purse. “Are you planning on attacking the Order? I don’t think that’s a well-thought-through plan, Gabriel.”

Gabriel smirked. “No. I plan on drawing them out. They’ll send a representative- likely the Black Cat, as they’re the only one who has a chance of capturing your Miraculous- and then we’ll use the representative to find Emilie. We just need to capture him.”

Marinette’s eyes went wide as she stared at Gabriel, her boss and the father of her best friend. What was she supposed to say to an offer like this?

“I’ve never- I mean, I haven’t transformed since I was a child- I can’t fight- I…”

Gabriel gave out a bark of laughter. “You can't fight? Well, that’s ridiculous. I didn’t send you to D'Argencourt Academy and gymnastics for nothing. I’ve seen you fence with my son, the top fencer in that academy. You’re a fan of unconventional tactics, which will benefit you. You’re just right for the battlefield, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.”

“I…”

“Please. I’m begging you, Marinette. Emilie loved you. I need your help to bring her back- Adrien needs your help.” 

Marinette felt herself cracking. She didn’t want to fight, not at all, but if this was about Emilie…

“Fine.” Gabriel’s shift in expression was almost manic, but she had turned away, hugging herself. “But… you have to let Adrien go to school. And… he needs more freedom. Please, Gabriel. It’s not only Emilie’s disappearance that’s killing him.”

Gabriel nodded, not bothering to keep the grin off his face. “Of course. You may go, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette nodded numbly, feeling a little sick to her stomach. She stood, wiping the tears from her face that she hadn’t noticed had fallen. 

“Oh, and Marinette?” She looked up, to see Gabriel looking at her with a dark expression on his face. “Lesson one. Heroes don’t cry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! As always, kudos and comments make my day, and I'll be updating next week on schedule(though it's making me incredibly impatient). Thank you all again!


	3. The Recruitment, Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette meets Chat Noir. How will this turn out?
> 
> ...Bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello! This is the last week of the prologue, I promise. Next week we'll be getting into the real plot of the story :). Thanks again to my incredible beta reader Khanofallorcs! And thank you all for reading!

Marinette didn’t expect the first akuma to come so quickly, though. 

She had stayed up all night, going over all of her powers with Tikki, despite the little god’s pleas for her to go to sleep. She had decided that she couldn’t mess this up- not with Emilie at stake, not with Adrien’s happiness at stake, and, if the kwami was to be believed, not with the fate of the world at stake. This was her duty, and she had to do it right, no matter how much it cost her.

_ Heroes don’t cry. _ She figured they didn’t sleep much, either. 

However, the effect of the allnighter that morning was not lost on her, nor on her classmates. When she had trudged into class the next day, eyelids heavy, Adrien noticed immediately. 

“Marinette! Are you alright? You didn’t respond to my messages, and you’re not looking too good, so…” He had given her a concerned frown, but he kept talking as he snuck her bag away from her and placed it beside her seat. “Did you hear? Father is allowing me to keep coming to school! Isn’t that great? I have no idea what you said to him, Mari, but you are my hero.” Adrien was beaming, and Marinette hadn’t been able to stop the glow that spread to her cheeks at the compliment. 

“Oh, uh, n-no, it was nothing, I…” Adrien’s smile seemed to only grow brighter and Marinette groaned softly. 

“There’s the Marinette that I know and love! Now, come on- I don’t really remember everyone’s names- are they gonna hate me? Did you do the homework? I loved it, it was so interesting, I…” Marinette had let him keep talking, leaning her head into her hand as she waited for Alya to arrive. Alya knew some stuff about superheroes, right? Maybe she could give her some pointers. 

That, of course, was when the building shook with an explosion.

Marinette and a few others fell out of their seats, but Marinette scrambled to the window to see a giant stone man rampaging the city. She held in a gasp as she stumbled back from the window, leaving room for Alya. 

_ So soon? No, I’m not ready yet, if this is an akuma I don’t want to fight with it, I can’t do this, I can’t- _

“I’m going to go check it out! Wish me luck, girl!”

“Wait, Alya- You can’t- it’s dangerous- that’s a  _ monster _ , right there!”

Alya grinned. “Where there’s a supervillain, there’s always a superhero close behind! No way am I missing this!” With that, she bolted out the door, despite Marinette’s desperate protests. She glanced out the window again. 

She had to do this, didn’t she?

“Marinette, come on! My dad will send someone, I’m sure of it, we need to get out of here!”

Marinette smiled weakly at Adrien, who was gesturing frantically at the door. “You go, Adrien- my parents will want me back at the bakery! Yeah, that’s it, and- you go, and stay safe. Please.”

Adrien’s face fell, but he nodded, bolting out the door to the front steps with her at his side. With one last concerned look, he gave her a hug.

“Stay safe, Marinette.”

_ I don’t think I can, Adrien _ . 

* * *

Marinette bolted back to her house, despite her kwami’s assurances that she could transform in a safe hiding place that wasn’t her room. Her parents were locking up the bakery as she arrived, and she gave them a fleeting smile before telling them she was going to lie down in her room and to please not disturb her. After taking the stairs two at a time, she arrived in her room, panting and breathless. 

“Okay, Tikki, so we’re doing this. We’re doing this! It’ll be fine, right? We’ll be fine.”

Tikki ran a reassuring paw down her chosen’s face. “You’ll never save Emilie if you stay in your room, Marinette. No one can fault you for trying!”

Marinette nodded, staring at her skylight skeptically. “Can we… Can we go over my powers again? Just once more?”

Tikki sighed, running an exasperated paw down her face. “Sure, Marinette.” 

* * *

It ended up being a long time before Marinette said the transformation phrase, leaving her covered in red and black and completely alone. 

“...Tikki? Can you hear me? If so… I don’t think I’m ready for this, I-” The building rumbled, and Marinette took a deep breath, steeling herself. “Fine, big stone monster. I’ll come help you. I just-” A roar split the air, causing Marinette to jump. “Okay! Okay! I’m coming!”

She clambered up her ladder to her balcony. From there, she climbed to the roof of the building, and reached to her hip for her weapon, and found… a yoyo?

“Tikki! Tikki, what is this? How am I supposed to fight a god of destruction with- with a yoyo? I’m trained in swordsmanship, not in- not in  _ yoyoing _ !” Marinette found herself yelling at the wind. She got no response, so she sighed, unhooking the yoyo and weighing it in her hand. 

_ It’s fine. You’re Marinette-no, you’re  _ Ladybug _ \- you can do this. _ She threw the yoyo out towards the stone monster, startling when it caught on something.  _ Okay, give it a tug, then. _

Ladybug gave it a small yank, sending herself flying in the direction of the stone monster. She bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming and gripped the yoyo string harder, somehow finding the release at the peak of her swing. This, of course, was a problem in and of itself, as Ladybug now found herself flying in the air with no support system. Her body automatically corrected itself, though- she found a target, her knees bent for impact, and she rolled out of her landing as if she’d been doing it for years. 

She stood up, in awe of herself. Did she really just do that? Grinning, she gave a cry of joy, before refocusing on her target. She had to get to the stone giant because that’s where the Order of the Guardians would be. With a better understanding of her yoyo, she followed the beast as it arrived in the school’s stadium, where she landed on the bleachers, surveying the scene. There, she saw a small black figure challenging the massive monster. 

“Oh-hey! You must be the partner my kwami mentioned! I could use some help here, so whenever you’re ready-”

There. That was him. That was the Black Cat- she was sure of it, and he must know where Emilie is. He could tell her. 

She’d finish this here and now. 

Using her experience from years of training, she flipped off her surveying spot, landing in a crouch. She barely heard the Black Cat’s astounded “woah” as he dodged before she charged him, dancing over and under the massive stone fists as she made her way to her target- the man who stole Emilie from them. 

“Wha-No, red lady, it’s HIM we’re supposed to be fighting, not me- ah- no- are you working with this oaf? Please, M’lady- argh-”

Ladybug pinned the Black Cat to the ground, but she startled as she looked at his face. “You’re… you’re just a kid.”  _ How could a child be the highest ranker of the Order of the Guardians? This doesn’t make sense… _

“Hey! I’m not any younger than you, Mlle. Spots, now-” In her moment of distraction, he shoved her off, readying his staff to fight.  _ Lucky. He got the sword-like item. _

She cursed, spinning her yoyo, but a growl from the monster caught her attention as he hurled a soccer goal across the field at Alya, who Ladybug hadn’t noticed in her fit of rage. Ladybug sprang up, sending her yoyo flying towards the goal and catching it in the nick of time. She yankei it back. It took her half a second to realize what she’d done, as the goal was now careening back towards herself. She screamed- it was too late to redirect it, and besides, she didn’t want to  _ kill _ anybody- and she couldn’t dodge either. She braced her arms across her face to protect her head from impact, but it never came. 

She looked up to see the Black Cat, standing in front of her and brandishing his staff. He had hit the goal to the side, sending it skidding to the left. Ladybug glared at him, unhooking her yoyo from the goal and bringing it to her side, spinning it rapidly to create a shield. 

“Wow, you almost got hit there, Mlle. Spots! I think we got off on the wrong foot. I’m Chat Noir- yeah, Chat Noir- and I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to be partners, but as a show of goodwill, I got the akuma while you were distracted-” 

He held up a blackened paper ball before dropping it and crushing it under his boot. A darkened butterfly fluttered out, and Ladybug glowered at him. She opened her yoyo the way Tikki had taught her, catching the akuma before releasing it, letting the now white butterfly float on the breeze above them. 

“I’m Ladybug.” She hooked her yoyo on a stadium light, giving him a final scathing look. “And we will  _ never _ be partners.”

* * *

Marinette walked slowly to the Agreste mansion as she marveled at what her Miraculous cure had done. She had dropped her(frankly awesome) line and left, before ducking behind a dumpster to create a Lucky Charm and a swarm of Ladybugs that had healed the city. Buildings were back in place, rubble was out of the street, and cracks had been repaired. It was as if the fight had never taken place. It was just incredible!

Still, she couldn't get the young Chat Noir’s face out of her mind. How could someone that young be one of the strongest people in the Order of the Guardians? How could she get information from someone like that? If he was her age, he’d only have been 13 when Emilie disappeared- meaning, if he was involved, he had taken on Emilie and kidnapped her when he himself was just a kid. 

She felt a familiar nausea creeping into her body. A child who could do things like that was no child she wanted to be anywhere near, let alone fight with. 

She walked through the large doors to the mansion, glancing up the marble staircase to Adrien’s room. She’d check on him later, but first, she had to talk with M. Agreste. She pushed open the large double doors soundlessly. 

M. Agreste was waiting for her, facing the painting on the wall. She curled in on herself, wincing- she had failed. She hadn’t gotten his Miraculous, Emilie would never come back-

“This was a perfect opening, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel spoke, and Marinette jumped. 

“What, sir? But... I failed. I didn’t take his Miraculous, I didn’t manage to do anything to find Emilie…” She hugged herself. She knew she’d be a failure of a superhero, she  _ knew _ it… 

“On the contrary, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. Yes, I am… disappointed that you didn’t use the opportunity you were given to take his Miraculous. But that would’ve been a rather shocking outcome, to say the least. You’ve proven yourself a much more capable fighter than I originally thought, and he now knows you are a threat. Furthermore, I never expected this to end in a single battle. No, we’re playing a long game here, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette looked up. She had been under the impression that it was a one-and-done deal with this type of fighting. Sure, she’d understood that they would have to find Emilie after that, but once Chat Noir told them where she was, it couldn’t be that difficult, so why had he been planning for so long?

“Mlle. Dupain-Cheng- two things. First, you purified the butterfly. Don’t do that again.” The man turned away from her before speaking again. “Second. There is… one thing concerning me, though. I’m sure you saw the red light after the battle?” Gabriel pressed on, ignoring Marinette opening her mouth to speak. “Yes, well- someone is creating that magic- that  _ healing _ \- and they are a threat.”

“But sir- aren’t they, uh, doesn’t it seem like they’re on our side? They’re repairing the damage, M. Agreste, and that’s a good thing, right?” Marinette twisted the hem of her shirt between her fingers as he looked at her. 

“You see, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, we do not know who this person is. We do not know their intentions. Furthermore,” He turned away, gazing back at the portrait of Emilie, “We don’t want the damage to the city repaired. I have a feeling… well, Paris is more likely to see Chat Noir as the menace he is if we leave the city broken. Whoever it is- they are an enemy. Lesson two, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng- Heroes don’t make allies, except with other heroes, of course. We can never be too careful.”

Marinette frowned. “I… see.” She shook her head. She’d talk to Tikki about this later. “M. Agreste… You said that the Black Cat is the most powerful Miraculous, and that he’d be high up in the Miraculous chain… if that’s true, why is he so… why is he so  _ young? _ ” Marinette had been thinking about it the way to the mansion- the bright, sparkling eyes, the tousled hair, the youthful face- none of it screamed ‘evil’ or ‘gang-member’, if she was being honest. He just didn’t seem capable of keeping Emilie captive for a year.

“Ah.” Gabriel looked at her, his eyes lasering through her body. “I see the issue you’re having. He looks a little like your Adrien, doesn’t he? Blonde hair, green eyes- yes, I see it. Does someone have a crush?”

He spat the words out, and Marinette frantically shook her head. “No, sir, I-”

“Yes, I know about your cute crush on Adrien. I didn’t think it would translate to… super villains, though, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. That’s a little disappointing. Tsk-tsk.”

“That’s not-”

“Well, I’ll clear up any misconceptions you have about that cat-boy. He is evil, but he does look young. You forget that they have other Miraculous. Namely, the Fox Miraculous. Do you know what that does?”

Marinette shook her head frantically. He was now circling her, shark-like, and her hands were frantically rubbing the denim of her jeans. 

“It’s the Miraculous of Illusion. Devious of them, to make their villain look vaguely like Paris’s teenage heartthrob, isn’t it? It’ll even make the hero, the brave Ladybug, fall swooning at his feet. Yes, how  _ devious. _ ”

Marinette shook her head frantically, tears brimming in her eyes at the attack. He stopped, staring at the painting. 

“But you know what will happen? If anyone else figures out the resemblance? He’ll be in danger, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. Another family member, in danger because of those Guardian  _ freaks _ . I’ll bet you they use the Fox Miraculous to torment Emilie, showing her horrible images, making her go insane, while you  _ swoon _ over her main tormentor…”

Marinette felt her tears spill over. She frantically wiped them away, remembering lesson one, as she shook her head. 

“N-no, sir… I wouldn’t…”

Gabriel regarded her carefully, and then nodded. “I’ll forgive you, just this once. I can see how the mistake was made, but it won’t happen again. Chat Noir, the mangy cat, is our enemy. Have I made myself clear?”

Marinette nodded, her resolve steeled. “Yes, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Hopefully, I'll see you next week as well! As always, theories, kudos, and comments make my day! Thanks so much!


	4. Fire and Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years later, Ladybug and Chat Noir are enemies. Don't worry, though- Marinette and Adrien are still best friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIIII all! I'm so sorry I posted this late. School started yesterday and I already feel like death. No matter, though- here's the update! Enjoy!

**4 years later**

Chat Noir dodged Ladybug’s yoyo, cursing as he spun his staff and glanced behind him at the rampaging monster. 

“Give it up, alley cat!” Ladybug yelled, her yoyo darting out again, this time for his ankle. He couldn’t dodge, and it tugged his foot out from under him, hard, dragging him towards her across the uneven shingles. He shoved his staff out, pushing off harder, propelling him towards her faster. He slid through her wide stance and landed a hard kick to her back- she cried out as she stumbled forward and released her yoyo’s hold on his leg. He scrambled to his feet as she regained her balance, spinning her yoyo like a shield. 

“Chat! Sorry we’re late- do you need help with Bug, or-” Rena Rouge shouted, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

Rena and Carapace had been added to the team early on, after Chat Noir had met the Guardian. They were originally temporary heroes, but when Chat had come in in the middle of a battle, bleeding from the head and with a broken arm, Master Fu had finally conceded. They were now permanent members of the team, but he was still the only one who ever actually fought Ladybug. 

“Just go take care of the akuma!” Chat didn’t take his eyes off Ladybug, who was side eyeing Queen Bee. Queen Bee had been added to the team later, but Chat remembered that Ladybug had had a particularly bad experience with her- they’d stung her once and had her paralyzed, but due to blunders on their part and due to the akuma, they’d just barely lost Ladybug, and she’d escaped. 

Chat Noir smirked. He could bet she wasn’t willing to chance that encounter again. 

But he’d let his mind wander from the battle a fraction of a second too long, and Ladybug’s yoyo had whipped out again. Chat Noir jumped out of the way, hissing. 

“Dammit, Ladybug, why can’t we just get along? You and I seem like we’d be a purrfect pair! No need for a catfight!” 

Ladybug, however, only threw her yoyo harder. This was going to be a long fight. 

* * *

Carapace sized up the akuma. It was large and destructive, but it didn’t look very smart, so with a nod at Rena and Queenie, they started their attack plan. 

Usually, their goal was to separate the akuma from Ladybug. She was a force on her own, of course, but when she decided to use the monster’s attacks to her advantage, she was nearly unstoppable. Most days, though, she didn’t take that path, which perplexed Carapace, but he wasn’t going to complain. He was just going to make it impossible for her to change her mind. 

Their second objective was to get any akumas- particularly the destructive ones- to an unpopulated area, and, if possible, one that didn’t compliment their power. Since this was Paris, those areas were hard to come by naturally. Queen Bee was particularly useful in these situations: she went ahead and used her... forceful nature to clear it.

Then, the moving of the akuma. This could take some time, and they often ended up defeating the monster while they were moving it. For a dumb, large monster like this, they taunted it. It inevitably followed. 

Finally, they fought. There wasn’t a real formula for this, or, not one that Carapace had picked up on. They fought forcefully and they held no punches. Their only goal was to find the akuma and get back to Chat Noir, who was fighting Ladybug. Alone. 

Carapace never liked that. While they could find the akumatized object pretty quickly- Rena was remarkably good at that- the battles could take anywhere from three minutes to three hours, and Carapace had seen Ladybug in action. She was dangerous, and talented, and she was- there was no other way to describe it- she was  _ angry _ . Carapace didn’t understand the logic in leaving their most important fighter with a crazy skilled spotted woman. He wanted to help Chat Noir face her, but he always refused, and, well. It was his call to make. 

Carapace just had to hope they got to him before she did. 

* * *

Chat Noir panted as he stared at Ladybug, who spun her yoyo menacingly as she glowered at him. Kwami, she was  _ good _ . If they had gotten her on their team, they would be unstoppable. Chat could feel it. 

But she very clearly hated him, as she threw her yoyo with unrivaled ferocity. He slid under the wire, using his staff to propel him up again as he evaded her attacks. He’d given up on trying to pin her down long ago- it always backfired, and besides, he suspected Ladybug had a trick up her sleeve. So all he did was evade, dodging the slices of her yoyo as he waited for his team to come back with the akumatized object and keeping Ladybug away from them as they worked. He found it effective, though tiring, and it had been a while since he’d seen his teammates. He was fading. 

He grabbed his staff and vaulted off the roof, leading Ladybug away from where he had seen his teammates lure the akuma. Ladybug followed, swinging off of a lamppost and landing on the building he positioned himself on. He held his staff at the ready before noticing three colored blobs rapidly approaching. He grabbed his staff, holding it like a saber, and lunged, throwing Ladybug off with the aggressiveness of his attack. She stumbled, but regained her balance. 

“Well, that was unexpected, you mangy cat. I wonder-” 

“Hey, Chat!” Queen Bee yelled, diving over Ladybug to pass the object- what looked like a plastic toy of sorts- to Chat, who snapped it against his leg. The butterfly started to flutter away, but Chat had already powered up his Cataclysm, and it crumbled to dust. They weren’t going to make the mistake of letting Ladybug get her hands on the object- it had happened once before and they had vowed to never let it happen again. 

The four heroes stood side-by-side as they stared at Ladybug, waiting for her to make the next move. 

“Well,” she said slowly, appraising each of them with her eyes, “I know when I’m beat. I’ll take my leave.” In a singular, fluid and lightning-quick motion, she threw her yoyo and flew away from them. Queen Bee made to go after her, but Chat caught her arm- he wasn’t going to risk anything. 

Rena stuck her flute in her belt, sighing. “Are we ever going to go after Red? Are you ever gonna let us fight her, Chat?”

Chat looked away from Rena’s golden eyes. “It’s… it’s too dangerous right now. She’s powerful, and we don’t know what she has up her sleeve.”

“But she could lead us directly to Hawkmoth! We could figure out their identities!”

“It’s too big of a risk.”

Rena’s ponytail swished as she sighed, twisting her flute in its holster. “You’re the boss, I guess.”

Chat smiled feebly, before glancing at his other teammates, noticing they all look similarly disappointed. He ran a hand through his hair. 

“Training tonight, same time as usual? If we keep this up, we’ll be purrfect. And if I think we’ve trained hard enough, we’ll go after Ladybug. Purromise.”

Carapace chuckled, and they all said their affirmatives before leaping off the roof, leaving him alone. He checked the time on his staff, confirming that there was no chance he’d make it back to school before the day ended. He groaned. Glancing around, he ducked into the alley below him before detransforming. 

“Cheeseeeee!” Plagg whined, collapsing into Adrien’s hand, just as the pink light washed over the both of them. 

Adrien stifled a laugh as he produced the Camembert from his breast pocket. Yeah, not much had changed. 

* * *

Ladybug touched down in a secluded corner of town, behind an old, abandoned business that she’d come to know incredibly well in the past few years. It was the best spot, logistically, for her to end up, with plenty of hiding spots and very few people, if any, to witness what she was about to do. Plus, it was close to the school, which meant she could walk back to classes from there. 

She walked around the perimeter quickly as she checked for bystanders. Per usual, there weren’t any, but she always erred on the side of caution. Satisfied, she ducked behind a dumpster and called her Lucky Charm quietly. From the sky fell her object- Ladybug grabbed it and grinned at the photo of her and Adrien. 

“Thanks, Tikki,” She whispered under her breath. Then, she tossed the photo into the air, whisper-yelling “Miraculous Ladybug!” and watching as it dissolved into swarms of pink ladybugs that rushed around to fix the city. A swarm circled her, warming her from the inside out as it healed any injuries she had sustained from Chat’s staff. As the magic faded, she let out a breath and detransformed, stepping out from behind the dumpster and walking purposefully on her route to the Agreste mansion. It was far too late in the day to return to school, and besides, Tikki had told her to go see Adrien. 

She pulled a cookie out of her purse for the flying god as she walked, letting her rest on her shoulder, behind her pigtail. 

“You did great today, Marinette!” Tikki’s chipper voice made Marinette smile, but she sped up her walk anyways. She wasn’t so sure. 

“Thanks, Tikki.” Marinette let out a breath. When was she ever going to catch the mangy cat? It had been  _ four years.  _ That wasn’t what she had signed up for, and while of course she was going to keep fighting, Emilie was out there somewhere. Adrien, her best friend, was still living believing his mother had disappeared, had run off or something, and the weight of her secrets was crushing Marinette.

She walked through the double doors of the mansion, nodding at Gabriel, who poked his head out of his office in an attempt to call her in.  _ After.  _ She kept walking, much to his dismay. 

She didn’t worship him as much as she used to, she was starting to notice. At first, she had been scared of him, and she had looked up to and revered the man for his incredible fashion brand, but now… well, scorn had seeped in the corners where admiration had once been. He paid her more attention than he did his own son. She didn’t respect that. 

But they were working towards a common goal, and she couldn’t ignore that- Emilie, her second mother, Adrien’s only mother, was on the line. The fate of the world was on the line. She’d work with Gabriel if she had to, to save those she loved. 

She shoved open Adrien’s door, frowning as she got no response. Stepping in, she glanced around- Adrien wasn’t there. 

The room had changed a bit over the years. It still had the climbing wall, and the basketball hoop, but there were weights now, and a punching bag, and a rope hung in the center that Adrien practiced climbing on. It had unintentionally become one of Marinette’s best training centers, so while she waited for him, she practiced.

The soreness from the fight hadn’t left her muscles yet as she ran to the second level of his room. With practiced ease, she positioned herself on the ledge and jumped, executing a flip before catching the rope and swinging to the climbing wall, which she scrambled up and used it to propel herself back to the rope, which was swinging rapidly now. As it circled the room, she judged the distance back to the glass railing of the second floor and jumped, but she was a second too late- her fingers clung to the slippery railing, and the soreness and screaming pain in her shoulder made her let go, and she fell. 

Her hand instinctively reached for her waist, but she was not transformed, so she had no yoyo to save her. She was just falling, and she braced herself for the hard impact against the floor.

Instead, she landed softly, in a pair of warm arms. She felt the two of them skid across the floor, the other person taking the brunt of the damage of her fall, before sliding to a stop. 

Marinette cracked her eyelids open to see Adrien looking at her, eyes wide and terrified. 

“What were you thinking? That could not have been more stupid.”

Marinette groaned, rolling out of his arms and onto her own patch of floor. “Well, I wasn’t exactly planning on falling.”

He gave a short snort, rolling over on his back as well. “You haven’t done gymnastics in years, dummy. What were you gonna do if I wasn’t here to rush in and save you, like the knight in shining armor I am?”

As they had grown older, this playful banter had become more common, but it still rarely failed to fluster Marinette. Her crush- no, her love- for her best friend could sometimes(often) make interacting with his cheeky, suave self extremely difficult.

A blush rose on Marinette’s cheeks, but Adrien didn’t notice. “I’d be fine, clearly. I’m immortal. We’ve been over this.”

Adrien laughed again, and, groaning, stood up. Marinette made to follow him, but was stopped by Adrien scooping her up bridal style. 

“Wha- hey!” She was blushing furiously at this point, but Adrien wasn’t paying attention as he tossed her gently on his bed and flopped down on the other side.

“Can’t trust you to walk anywhere now. I’m not letting you kill yourself on the way to sit down- it would be such a tragic end, and then these scrapes would be in vain.” He grinned cheekily as Marinette gasped at his newly scraped knees. 

“O-oh no! Sorry, Adrien.”

“No worries. We live in Paris- a scraped knee is nothing. Just promise not to do  _ that _ again.”

Marinette grinned, grabbing one of his pillows and hugging it to her chest. “Well, I’ll do my best, but you know me…”

“ _ Marinette!”  _

“I can’t make any promises…” She buried her face in another one of his pillows(he had at least twenty) as he scooted closer to her and said something else.

“I can’t hear you!” Tauntingly, she twisted her head out of the pillow to poke her tongue out at him, before disappearing back into the pillow abyss. 

“Oh, it’s on…” He whispered, cracking his knuckles. He crawled over to her, hands at the ready, before leaning over to whisper in her ear. 

“You can’t hear me, huh? Well… if I can’t get you to promise like this, I guess I’ll have to start a tickle war!”

Marinette shrieked before he even began tickling her, grabbing the pillow she had had her head on and using it to hit him as he tickled her sides. She practically convulsed as she giggled, begging for mercy. 

“Promise me you won’t do it again! Promise me!” 

She shook her head, though, and Adrien grinned. Time to bring out the big guns. 

He tickled her collarbone and she shrieked and flailed, laugher coming out in gasps. 

“Oh-okay! Okay! I- I promise! Just- please! Adrien!” She giggled out the words, and Adrien released her, letting her role over and smack him with a pillow. 

“You’re mean.” She pouted, and he grinned extra cheekily, but after a few minutes, a comfortable silence prevailed, the only sound their labored breathing. 

After a few minutes, Marinette dragged her hand down her face. “Ugh… Are we ever going to catch up on class with all the Akuma attacks? I ran and hid today, but I couldn’t make it back to school- do you by any chance have the notes from the end of the day?”

Adrien shook his head. “Nope. Y’know, it’s one of the reasons Father is giving as part of his case to try to pull me out of school. I mean, I get where he’s coming from, but…”

Marinette gave him a glance out of the corner of her eye. “... you’re kidding.”

“No, he’s back trying to homeschool me again, which I don’t get, because there’s no way I’ll stay here for university. He can’t homeschool me for that.” 

“I’ll talk to him when we meet today. Which is in… three minutes. Damn it. I should probably get going. Will I see you at the bakery tomorrow morning or should I pack something for you?”

Adrien smiled weakly at her as she stood. “I’ll be there.”

She grinned, before waving as she walked out his door and down the marble staircase. She wasn’t really looking forward to the meeting with Gabriel, seeing as she blew him off earlier, but she didn’t have a choice. 

Pushing the doors open, she found Gabriel staring at the painting of his wife. He spun sharply, striding over to her in long, precise steps. 

“Gabriel.”

“Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.”

“I hear you’re trying to pull Adrien out of school? You must remember that I won’t help you if you continue senseless ploys like that.”

He considered her briefly. “If you want me to keep Adrien in school, I expect you to be working harder in your… job, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.”

“What, sir?”

“You didn’t attempt to attack after the akuma had been defeated today. Why do you continue to stray from my instructions?”

Marinette heaved a sigh. “There were four of them, and one of me. Only Chat Noir had clearly used his power. The others were wildcards. It was too risky to attack when I was so gravely outnumbered.”

“You’re going to University next year.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you do remember what we’re fighting for, correct?”

Affronted, she replied. “Of course I do. However, I don’t see the connection, and it would be unwise to have-”

“Unwise? My wife is still currently in captivity and being tortured-” He let out a breath as he faced the painting of Emilie. “Come with me, Marinette.” 

Marinette knew she didn’t have a choice, so she clasped her hands behind her back and watched as Gabriel ran his hands down the painting until he found certain grooves, pushing to reveal that they were buttons all along. Marinette couldn’t conceal her gasp- she’d never seen him do this before, and below him, a platform started to lower. He waved her over and she quickly stepped onto the cramped space with him, marveling at the hidden elevator. 

“You’re going to University soon. We have to finish this fight, so I’ve taken you here, and shown you how to get here, because I fully trust you, Marinette. I’ll come to get you when it’s time.” Marinette turned to him, a question in her eyes, but the elevator door slid open and she stumbled out. Before she could get back on, it closed and moved back upwards, taking Gabriel with it. 

Marinette turned around to look at the space she was in before stumbling back. She knew this space. She’d been here once before, in her first year of heroeing, when she had suggested that maybe,  _ maybe _ , their enemies weren’t as bad as they seemed. Gabriel had blindfolded her and taken her down to this room, this cavernous space, and shown her video after video of the Order’s atrocities. 

Marinette had found herself falling, then. She’d lost track of time. She’d cried, cried until her eyes were sore. She’d screamed for help, as if the walls would answer her prayers and lift her away from the videos- the burning people, the explosions, the blood, the murder, the torture, the screams, but worst of all, the  _ laugh _ , the sickening laugh that rang in her head. She’d scratched her arms until they’d bled. When Gabriel found her(for she was lost, lost to the videos and the pain and the suffering and  _ oh god _ ), he had scolded her-  _ Heroes don’t cry. Heroes don’t bleed _ . But she was no hero, no- for all she wanted to do was  _ hurt _ the people who had caused all that pain.

When she closed her eyes, now, she saw fire. 

“...Tikki? You’re here, right?” Tikki flew out of her purse, nuzzling into her neck to reassure her. “Can you… can you keep time for me this time?”

“...Of course, Marinette.”

Marinette sat down, crossing her legs as she took deep breaths. Suddenly, Gabriel’s high-tech hologram projector flickered to life. Marinette closed her eyes to prepare herself for what was coming. 

One breath in, one breath out.

And then she opened her eyes. 

* * *

An hour later, Gabriel returned. Marinette’s arms were raw and her eyes were puffy, but he paid it no mind as he calmly gestured for her to join him on the elevator. She walked numbly, her kwami hidden somewhere, as tears leaked from her eyes. 

“I am… regretful, that I reacted like that to your inability to apprehend the four Guardians today. I reacted so strongly because of those videos. They’re new, and when they arrived, I… let my emotions overcome me.”  _ Heroes don’t cry.  _

“You must understand, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, that if you expect me to keep my son in school, I need menaces like them out of the city.”

The elevator opened to Gabriel’s office, both of them stepping out. “I’m… I’m going to kill them. I swear it, I’m going to kill them for doing that. They- they had no right…”

Gabriel smirked, though Marinette didn’t notice. “Yes, I feel the same way. Now, you can go home, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette did not plan on going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello again! As you can see, we're actually in the not-prologue part of the story! Exciting! I have to thank my beta reader Khanofallorcs for his amazing work, but other than that, see you next week!


	5. Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug goes to punish those who she saw hurt Emilie, and Chat makes an important revelation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I don't really have much to say today, cause I'm exhausted, but thank you to Khanofallorcs for being a fantastic beta!

Marinette knew where and when Chat’s team trained. It was an accidental discovery- she’d stumbled across the secluded building on an evening walk as a search for more hiding spots for herself, only to find it already occupied by her enemies. She’d come back, then, multiple times, and she’d found out their schedule. She had yet to use that knowledge against them, as she preferred to keep her cards close to her chest, but now…

Now they were going to pay. 

Ladybug swung through the city, tears blinding her vision. How could they do that to Emilie? Tikki had told her that they must have gone astray after she was lost. She'd known the order was terrible and capable of atrocities- she’d seen videos of them blowing up buildings and people, torturing civilians, and burning towns, but it had never been Emilie. She’d never had to see them do it to Emilie, and now she was blinded by rage. They would  _ pay. _

She crouched on a building opposite of theirs. They practiced in the top floor of the abandoned building, and over the chaos of their training, they didn’t notice their observer. Ladybug watched them laugh, and her fury grew. How dare they laugh, how dare they have fun, when they hurt Emilie like that?

Her hands were shaking. She didn’t notice. 

She threw her yoyo, latching it over the lip of the roof and tugging, sending herself swinging through the open windows of the crumbling building. She could’ve sworn she saw Chat’s cat ears twitch before she arrived, and she heard the warning he had started to give, but it was too late- she was in. 

Chat’s teammates were on the offensive immediately, but they were no match for Ladybug. She knew her weapon inside and out; she knew how it could do the most damage, and where to strike with it. Before she had even fully landed, she had retracted it from the roof and shot it at Rena Rouge’s nose- she heard a crack, and blood sprayed-  _ heroes don’t bleed _ . Ladybug allowed herself a short grin before her ears pricked at Queen Bee’s shout of ‘Venom!’- she spun, catching the trompo in midair and throwing it at Chat Noir. His eyes widened in fear before Carapace threw his shield in front of him, blocking him from the sting. 

“You broke my nose, you bitch!” Rena cried, charging Ladybug from behind. Her flute was raised over her head like a battering ram, but Ladybug spun and grabbed it, flipping it and Rena over her head with a ‘thump’. Rena scrambled to her feet and out the window, where the rest of her team had been escaping from. 

Ladybug growled in fury, jumping out the window and swinging to the roof above. She found herself faced with the four heroes, all in fighting stances, with Rena still bleeding rapidly from the nose. 

“Proceed carefully, Ladybug. You’re gravely outnumbered. Please, think this through.” Chat spoke first, as he stared at the girl, who’s yoyo was steadily spinning faster and faster.

He didn’t hear her at first when she spoke. “...Think this through. Think this through, huh? You want me to think this through?”  
She took a step closer to them, and they stepped back in time. “Did- did anyone tell you to think it through when you were _torturing_ her? Did anyone stop you? How- how long have you been torturing her for? You _laughed._ ”

Chat stared at her, before taking a step forward, breaking ranks. “Wha- Ladybug, what are you talking-”

“How could you? How could you do that to her? You’re monsters- monsters, all of you, all of you are complicit- Rena, I saw you create the illusions of me dying, of her husband dying, of her  _ son  _ dying to drive her insane- Carapace, I saw you beat her- Queen Bee, I saw you freeze her while you beat her and let her be tricked by the  _ horrid _ illusions-  _ and you. _ ” Her icy gaze fixed on Chat Noir, and for the first time, he noticed how her bright blue eyes were puffy, and rimmed with red, and how her pigtails were disheveled as if she had tugged them apart. 

“You, you just… you must have wanted to see what a Cataclysm did to a person, huh? You must’ve thought she was a- a perfect  _ test subject _ , you monster. I’ll- I’ll kill you for it, I will-”

She swiped away tears with her spare hand, and Chat tried to take another step forward but was stopped by his teammates, who held his arms. 

“So don’t tell me to proceed carefully. Don’t tell me I’m outnumbered because  _ I don’t care. _ I will- I will fight to the death. I will fight until you kill me, and I’ll fight until you capture me and torture me like you did her. I’ll never give myself up to the likes of you, you monsters! I’ll never!” The girl was outright sobbing now, and her yells came out hoarse, as if she’d screamed for hours before. The four heroes watched in horror as a black butterfly fluttered towards her earrings, but she waved it away. 

“I don’t want your power, Hawkmoth.” She glared at the butterfly as if it had committed a personal offense to her. “You couldn’t save her either. I want to kill them myself.” She whipped out her yoyo and caught the butterfly, purifying it, before the full force of her glare returned to the heroes. 

“Let’s fight.” Her yoyo wrapped around Carapace’s feet, pulling them out from under him, and Queen Bee yelped and leaped off the roof as her comb beeped at her, signaling she was at the one minute mark. Rena pulled out her flute, playing a note and covering the roof with copies of themselves, but Ladybug hardly flinched- with a swing of her yoyo, she had made all of them vanish, before letting it continue its arc and hit Rena in the head again. 

“Ladybug, please!” Chat cried as he dodged her yoyo in an attempt to approach her. “We don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Ladybug’s scowl grew. “Oh yeah?” She glanced at her yoyo, as if calculating something. “Let’s end this quickly. Lucky Charm!” 

Chat Noir immediately started to scramble back- this was what he had been afraid of. What incredible secret power had she been hiding? He stopped, though, as a small ball landed in her hand. That couldn’t be too dangerous. Cautiously, he continued his approach as Queen Bee landed on the roof again.

“Well, this isn’t too complex.” 

Queen Bee saw her chance with Ladybug’s distraction, firing up her trompo quietly this time and tossing it. Ladybug smirked, before chucking the ball at whizzing stinger, sending it off course and into Rena’s back. The ball bounced off of the Trompo and towards Carapace’s shield, from which it bounced and hit Queen Bee’s head, temporarily stunning her. Barely noticing the commotion behind him, Chat Noir was vaulting towards Ladybug, but the ball bounced directly under where he was placing his staff, sending it flying and sending him tumbling to the roof. Ladybug used his fall to pin him down, grabbing his wrists. 

“Well, looks like I have easy access to your ring now, don’t I?” She tried to grab it, but he cursed, calling up his cataclysm. He realized a moment too late that that was exactly what she wanted. 

“I bet you wanted to see what a Cataclysm would do to a human body, huh? Yeah? You sicken me. Maybe- maybe you should get that same experience. Maybe it’ll stop you from Cataclysming her again!”

She had a tight hold on his wrist, and she twisted towards his chest- she was incredibly strong. He fought her with all his strength, but her anger and her position were working to her advantage, and he was losing the fight. He cursed again. 

Suddenly, Carapace’s shield flew through the air, hitting the junction between their hands. Ladybug flew to the side, and Chat Noir’s hand slammed into the roof, dissolving it on impact. Ladybug screeched as they fell through the air, landing hard on the floor below them. Chat scrambled away from Ladybug as her earrings beeped and she jumped, unused to the sound. She'd never needed to use her lucky charm in battle before, and now...

Chat caught on. “She’s not used to working on a timer! Go, go, go!”

Ladybug hissed, but she knew when to cut her losses. She grabbed the bouncy ball again, which had landed near her feet, and faked a throw of it- the team backed away from it instinctively, and she threw her yoyo and swung away. She was gone before any of them had the chance to attack. 

Chat Noir sighed. “Scatter, guys. Carapace, take Rena- oh wow, the blood froze too, huh- and everyone, go recharge and go home. I’ll come to you individually some time about a new meeting spot and time.” He sighed, his eyes narrowing in the direction that Ladybug went. Maybe…

He vaulted in that direction on impulse, following the red spot on the horizon that was her. His team was right. He hadn’t attacked her earlier, and now they’d taken losses for it- Rena had a broken nose, and there were countless other injuries as well… Their morale had to have taken a hit too… if he could just catch her now…

He stopped the edge of a building, flattening himself to the roof and blending in with the night. He watched as she looked around frantically and cursed. 

“Dammit! If only the cat hadn’t destroyed the building- he probably knew, the bastard- argh!” She sighed, tugging on her pigtails, before slumping. “Guess I don’t have a choice, though.” 

She opened her clenched fist to reveal the bouncy ball, before tossing it into the air with a defeated cry of “Miraculous Ladybug!”. Chat watched in awe as it dissolved into the pink light he’d been marveling at for years. Why had she been…?

He flattened himself on his back as a swarm of the light- composed of what he now realized were little ladybugs- flew to him, circling his ribs and filling him with warmth as they healed his cuts and bruised ribs. 

He stayed on his back as the light faded away, and as another flash of pink light indicated that she had detransformed. He found himself immobilized as the sounds of quiet sobs filled the alleyway. His brain screamed at him to move, but his body was stuck, shocked at his new revelation and the idea of Ladybug _crying_.

“I- thanks, Tikki. Here, there are cookies in my purse. I… I kind of want to be left alone right now.” 

He didn’t hear what he assumed was her kwami’s response, but the girl returned to crying afterward, her sad, broken sobs tearing his heart in two for some reason he couldn’t place. She didn’t notice when he detransformed above her, shushing his kwami with cheese, and then transformed again. She didn’t notice that her heartbroken sobs drew tears from his eyes, too. 

He didn’t leave the roof until long after he heard her footsteps retreat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIIII! So important chapter here. Please please please leave speculations or theories in the comments- they make my day! Thank you for reading!


	6. Friend or Foe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A discussion of the heroes and some Adrienette friendship fluff :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, hi! Sorry, I know I'm late to updating, but... school, people. School sucks. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter and thanks again to my incredible beta reader Khanofallorcs!

Adrien stepped out of his armored car, yawning as he took in the far-too-bright sunlight. He strode towards the bakery door, the bells chiming as he opened it, and he waved at the Dupain-Chengs’ as he walked around back and up their stairs to their apartment to wait for Marinette. Sabine stopped him to hand him a croissant and he smiled half-heartedly, continuing up the stairs. 

He made it to the apartment, taking a seat in one of the high chairs and spinning a little as he waited for Marinette. He was exhausted, as he hadn’t gone home until late, and while he had passed out upon arriving home, his mind was now laden with thoughts and confusion. 

Like, what the hell was Ladybug talking about? Why did she seem to think he tortured someone? Why was she fixing the entire city, if her partner was putting so much effort into breaking it?

Why did she sound so broken?

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get her bright, teary eyes out of his head. They were so  _ angry _ , but he couldn’t figure out why- he couldn’t figure out what he had done to deserve that wrath. He also knew if he did, he might have the key to getting her over on their side. 

She’d given him a puzzle piece. What he couldn’t do was figure out how to use it. 

With his head heavy, he took a bite out of the croissant- flaky and buttery as always. It soothed his angry stomach and he moaned, just as Marinette made her way clumsily down the ladder. 

“...You okay there, tiger?” She asked, giving him an odd look.

His head shot up, cheeks flaming. “Uh…”

She laughed, shaking her head. Her pigtails shook merrily and he grinned at her. 

“You look tired. I didn’t think you had a late-night photo shoot.” Marinette grabbed her book bag before they made their way down the stairs together.

“Ah… no, I didn’t. I just stayed up… thinking.”

Marinette faked horror as she grasped on to the stair railing. “Oh, no! Do we need to get you to the hospital or something? Your model head should be staying empty.” 

He laughed, but the sound was a little hollow- Marinette frowned at him. 

“Well, what about you? You… look like you’ve been crying? What, did you watch the rest of  _ Avatar the Last Airbender _ without me?”

Marinette plastered on a smile. “Nope, same as you. Stayed up late and got very little sleep. Ah, the woes of-”

Marinette tripped on air, missing the step. She mentally prepared herself for her inevitable tumble, but she found herself in Adrien’s arms instead. 

Groaning, he set her upright. “What did my father even send you to gymnastics for? Clearly it didn’t pay off.”

She poked her tongue out at him to disguise the blush rising quickly on her feet. “C’mon, Maman and Papa are waiting for us.”

* * *

They arrived at school without incident, munching on pastries as they waited on the front steps for Nino and Alya. Usually, Marinette was scrambling to get to school, but with Adrien to move her along, she ended up early. 

She hated it. 

Alya jogged up to them, and Marinette pulled out a croissant for her before stopping short at the black and blue bruises decorating her face, and the slight swelling around her nose. 

“Woah, Alya, what happened?” It was clear she had tried to cover it up with makeup, but there was not enough makeup in the world for that much bruising. 

The girl in question glowered, snatching her croissant. “Etta and Ella… I was babysitting last night, and they threw a temper tantrum…” She took a hearty bite of her croissant, looking away. 

Marinette looked aghast. “Damn, are they really that strong?”

“They aren’t, but their toys are.” They all looked up to see Nino, who also grabbed a croissant out of Marinette’s bag. “I’ve been on the receiving end of those, and damn, it’s painful. How’s the face, Al?”

She let out a noncommittal grumble as the first bell rang; they all stood, gathering their stuff to walk to class. Marinette smiled at her friends as she sat down, ready for the lesson.

* * *

Time flew by too quickly for Adrien to focus on Ladybug, though. He had college applications to submit, friends to focus on, and, occasionally, akumas to fight, and before he knew it, a light dusting of snow was covering the ground, and they were being released for winter break the next day. 

Still, he had a day of school to get through before he was free- or, well, as free as he ever was in the Agreste family. He met Marinette at school, and, with their friends, they proceeded up to the classroom.

Upon entering the classroom, Marinette let out a squeak and sprinted to her seat: the blackboard had the words “Ladybug: friend or foe?” scrawled on it.

These debates had become a tradition in their classroom, replacing the usual discussion of who everyone’s favorite hero was. It had happened when Marinette, in the first year of being a hero, had bravely said Ladybug- the class had erupted in shouts and angry words.

When she’d finally been able to explain her reasoning, the debate sprang up, and ever since, it had been a winter break tradition, with more people slowly shifting to Marinette’s side as time went on. Marinette, however, found herself walking a thin line between defending Ladybug and exposing her secret identity. 

A thin, thin line. 

So, during these debates, she tended to sink down into her seat. No option was good; she couldn’t speak up for herself, because she’d likely accidentally reveal herself, and she couldn’t switch sides, because not only could she never speak in the mangy cat’s defense, but the whole class would likely riot- she’d been the one to start those debates, after all. 

Marinette slumped further in her seat as the class filed in, whispering excitedly and casting furtive glances her way. She shot a look at her friends, who seemed to be preparing their arguments- Nino had never taken much part, but had been on the “Foe” side of the argument, along with Adrien, who was the biggest Chat Noir supporter she knew. Alya, while she was still on the “foe” side, seemed to be curious about the “friend” side most years, and would take notes for her blog. 

Mlle. Bustier walked in, clapping her hands for attention from the still buzzing class. “Alright, children, since it’s the last day before Winter Break, I believe we have a tradition to complete. This will be the last time we argue about this before you go on to University next year. Would anyone like to state their position first?”

Alya’s hand shot up. “Ladybug is evil. Evil, evil, evil- she’s a crazy monster, and she’s working with Hawkmoth. That’s inexcusable.”

Marinette shrank in her chair. She’d always had Alya’s tentative support- what had changed?

“But Alya, I don’t know. Ladybug’s been doing some pretty cool stuff lately. Like, she sometimes tries to comfort akuma victims, cause she doesn’t have a timer, and I heard she stopped a bank robbery a few weeks ago- that’s not something we should ignore.” Alix spoke up from the back of the classroom, and Marinette beamed- Alix had been hot and cold on Ladybug, but Marinette always felt better when Alix liked her. 

“Yeah, and let’s not forget how  _ cool _ she is! Like, backflips? She can take on Chat Noir with no powers! She’s crazy strong. I’m not even sure if  _ I _ could outrun her.” Kim’s smirk shone through in his voice, and Marinette laughed along with her classmates, but Alya groaned.

“It doesn’t matter how cool or how good she is! For- for all we know, she’s a trained assassin, and that’s why she’s so good! She’s- she’s insane!”

Alya’s fury was backed by Nino, who rubbed her arm as she spoke. “I’m not gonna lie, I think Ladybug’s kind of crazy too. She is working with a maniac who wants jewelry, and it doesn’t matter if she comforts the victims if it’s her fault anyway.” Nino ended his speech with a heavy sigh and an adjustment of his cap. Alya was rubbing her nose furiously, to Marinette’s bewilderment. 

Marinette shrunk again. It wasn’t her fault that they were getting akumatized! She had begged- and she meant  _ begged _ \- Gabriel to change his methods, but he was adamant. It was why they weren’t officially working together anymore. Something just didn’t sit right with her about only akumatizing people with negative emotions, and making them forget everything they had done, and not giving them control over their actions. It made her feel an odd sort of sick inside.

In reality, she hadn’t known about the horrible experience akumatization was until Alya had become Lady WiFi. Marinette had come to school the next day, ecstatic, and she had asked Alya what it was like, if she had felt empowered, if she could describe it to her. Marinette had imagined- had been told- that akumatization was an incredible feeling, that it was freedom, that it was power. Instead, Alya looked at her, disgusted, and told her what it really was: a gaping hole in her memory where all she could feel was nausea and where she knew she had done horrible things but she couldn’t remember them. She told her how Hawkmoth had been taking advantage of her sadness, her pain, and had turned those emotions into weapons that he used against her, and if she ever met Hawkmoth or Ladybug, she’d punch them straight in the nose. 

Marinette had gone home to Gabriel, sobbing, and begged him to akumatize people who were happy. He said it wasn’t possible.  _ Heroes don’t cry, Marinette. Heroes don’t relent. _

She’d tossed and turned about it for nights, coming back to Gabriel with new solutions until she had exhausted herself. Then, she decided she had no choice but to end their partnership.

Still, she had  _ tried. _ But Emilie and the imminent end of the world(because now Marinette knew her mission extended beyond Adrien’s mother- she had to stop the entire order) was just too important to completely abandon Gabriel, no matter how-

“Marinette? You’ve always supported Ladybug on this issue. Would you like to remind us why?”

Marinette groaned internally, shaken from her mental dialogue. She sat up a bit straighter as she wrestled with herself on what she was going to say, and how she was going to say it, before taking a deep breath. 

“I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. In essence, we know nothing about the heroes. We don’t know where they got their Miraculous, or how, or why, or how they work, and we don’t know why they’re here in Paris or what they’re doing. They’re not forthright with their actions. We don’t know their intentions. We don’t-”

“That’s not true! We know they want to stop Hawkmoth and Ladybug!”

“I mean, that’s what they’re telling us. But that seems like a rather… basic goal, right? Chat Noir appeared so quickly after Hawkmoth did, almost as if he was here, waiting. Almost as if it wasn’t a surprise, and the war that they fought wasn’t new, it was just on new terrain. Why? What started it? How did Chat Noir appear so quickly? If his only goal was to stop Hawkmoth, and to reclaim the Miraculous, how would he have known it was in Paris- how would he have just shown up like that? What I’m saying is that I don’t buy it. I feel like this is a war they’re having, and we’re not going to be privy to any of the details until after one side or the other wins. At least Ladybug has told us what she wants- she wants Chat Noir, or revenge, or something. She’s not hiding behind false intentions.”

“I”m not sure I agree with you, Marinette.” 

Marinette laughed. “What a surprise, Adrien.”

“No, no, I agree that we don’t know enough about the heroes. But I’m saying maybe Ladybug is hiding things from us too. I mean, where’s her power? She’s never shown us one. Why does she want revenge? Where did she come from? How is she so good? Now, believe it or not, I think I’m shifting over to the ‘friend’ side because of these questions.”

Marinette shot up in her seat. What the hell?

“I’ve… always seen Ladybug as just an enemy. A confusing enemy, but an enemy of the people. But if she has a method and a motive… if she has a backstory… Well, then, maybe there are two people who are in the right in this ‘war’, as you called it.”

Just as the class erupted, the shrill tone of the bell pierced the room. “Alright, class, great discussion. I’ll see you all again later.”

Marinette gathered her stuff, walking out the door with Adrien at her side. 

“I can’t believe you support Ladybug now! What happened, Adrien? Did someone drop you on your head?”

Adrien laughed, but he stopped short as Lila sauntered over to him, a sickeningly sweet smile decorating her face. Marinette groaned internally- since she’d joined their class, Lila had kept up the threats and the tormenting. She hadn’t been able to go through with any of it, of course, but it was awfully annoying to have to watch her back every time she went to the bathroom.

“Oh, hi Adrien! I thought you spoke beautifully in class today- it’s so sexy that you have a different opinion on the heroes. Want to go out to lunch- you know, just you and me?” She batted her eyelashes and placed her hand on Adrien’s arm. 

He slid out of the way, shaking his head. “Ah, no, Lila. I’m spending lunch with Marinette today.” He walked faster, Marinette jogging to keep up with him, her face flaming.

“God, Lila is really getting on my nerves lately. Does the class really still believe her lies?”  
“You’d think they’d have realized after the fourth deception-based akumatization, but no…”

Adrien chuckled humorlessly as they kept walking towards the bakery. Usually, they ate with Alya and Nino too, but the couple had a date planned for lunch. That left Marinette and Adrien for lunch at her parent's house. 

They feasted on overflow Christmas and Hanukkah cookies over lunch, talking and laughing about University. 

“God, I’m so happy that all my applications are in! It was so stressful, with school, and the internship, and MDC…” Marinette leaned back in her chair, beaming.

Adrien smiled back. “What’s your first choice, Mari?”

She shook her head. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m hoping to go somewhere that has some classes online? I don’t know if I can be bothered to arrive on time.”

Adrien laughed, shaking his head. “What design program is going to be online, Mari?”

Marinette stuck her tongue out at him. “I’ll just… ship them my pieces. That should work, yeah?”

He chuckled again. “I… cannot imagine University. I’ll be finally out of the mansion, Mari! It’ll be incredible.”

Marinette smiled indulgently, but she couldn’t imagine living  _ without _ Adrien. It hurt, a bit, to think they’d be so separated, but he’d be happy. That’s what mattered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I know this chapter was mostly fluff but I hope you enjoyed it. :) Have a great weekend and stay tuned, I guess!


	7. A Christmas Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy guys. How y'all doing?  
> First of all, I am so so so sorry for my absence. I've been busy and forgetful and then it's Friday and I feel like I can't update. Luckily, I overcame that today to update now, and I am so incredibly thankful to SeargantSarcasm for reminding me this exists and encouraging me to continue. I can't promise regular updates from here on out(school, life, etcetera) but I can promise to try to update more often.   
> On a related note, I've learned that i am entirely motivated by spite. So maybe if I'm MIA for a while... :)  
> thanks again to Sergeant Sarcasm for being awesome and KhanOfAllOrcs for helping me edit. :)

By the time school was let out, there was a thick covering of snow on the ground- when Marinette had holed herself in her room for the night, most people were snowed in. That was fine with Marinette- she had work to get done, anyways. 

“You’re doing a really great thing, Marinette,” Tikki chirped, hovering above Marinette’s shoulder. 

Marinette hummed, measuring out the proper amount of fabric. “It’s nothing, Tikki. It keeps me busy during the break, and I enjoy it.” She smiled at her kwami. “Well, let’s get to work, then.”

It took her multiple days to finish all the gifts, and she found herself really pushing her Christmas deadline, but, once she had snuck away from festivities with her family and Adrien on Christmas Eve, she finished it. 

Now, the house was asleep. It was early Christmas morning. Adrien was back at the mansion, and Marinette was out on the balcony, with her sack of gifts slung over her shoulder. She quietly called out her transformation phrase before leaping from her roof, using her yoyo to swing through the worst part of the city, towards the orphanage. She reached into her bag and pulled out a Santa hat as she landed on the roof. She quickly searched for the window the headmaster promised to leave open for her, and when she discovered it, she swung through, landing silently. 

The orphanage was slightly eerie, its silence different from the rest of the city’s. The city was quieted by the snow, but the orphanage… it felt like it was always this silent, this undisturbed and empty. 

Ladybug sighed, quietly making her way to the children’s rooms. They were labeled with their names, so it was easy to place her gifts in piles outside their doors. She finished hastily- the orphanage was also incredibly chilly, as if they didn’t have a proper heating system. She mentally added jackets and blankets to her list of things to bring to the headmaster. 

She turned back towards the open window when she heard a whisper behind her. She turned, meeting the bright green eyes of a young child.  _ Shit. _ She hadn’t meant to wake anyone up.

“Are you Ladybug?” The little girl asked. Ladybug crouched, meeting the child’s height, before nodding. 

The child blinked before taking a few tentative steps towards her. “D-did you give us presents?” She stumbled over her words and her pronunciations, making Ladybug’s heart ache. Ladybug nodded again as the child took a seat in front of her. 

“I’m Leah.” The little girl paused, thinking. Ladybug took a seat with her. “... thank you for the presents.”

Ladybug smiled. “Anytime, Leah.” 

The little girl looked up, her green eyes filled with curiosity. “You have a pretty voice, Ladybug.”

Ladybug felt herself fighting a smile as the little girl yawned. “You know what, Lea? Do you want anything in particular for Christmas?”

Lea’s green eyes were wide as she considered Ladybug. “I want… a fluffy kitty.” She yawned again, and Ladybug sighed, lifting the child into her arms.

“Okay. Tik, what can you do?” She quietly called for her power, the yawning child still in her arms, and she caught a fluffy, red-and-black Cat stuffed animal. Ladybug smiled.

“Off to bed with you, little one.” She whispered, adjusting Lea in her arms. She carried her back to her room, and, creaking the door open, she gently tucked her back into bed, giving her the cat toy to snuggle with. 

“Night, Lea.” She left the room, and with a cast of her yoyo, she flung herself into the night.

Chat Noir should love Christmas. He loved the snow, and the fairy lights, and the ridiculous traditions. He loved the cheer and the Christmas trees, he loved Christmas cookies, and, of course, he loved gifts. 

But he also hated Christmas. He hated that he hated it, sure, but he couldn’t avoid the fact that the obnoxious songs sent pangs through his heart, and that sometimes all the love was just  too much for him to handle.

So Christmas night wasn’t one he enjoyed. For the past three years, he’d spent it sitting on a random building, watching the snow fall and keeping himself awake. This year was no exception. 

He couldn’t get his mother out of his mind, unsurprisingly. Every year, he thought he’d healed- he thought he recovered, that he was finally okay, but he was always wrong. Something about Christmas night drove him out of the empty mansion. He couldn’t describe it. 

He’d be graduating this year, and his mother wouldn’t be there to see it. He’d move on to university, with only his father watching him go. His mother wouldn’t be there for the acceptance letters, for the decisions, for him moving out or moving in. She wouldn’t be the one on the receiving end of his calls home, and she’d never see him graduate from university, or get a job, or-

A sob wracked his body. God, why couldn’t he accept that she was gone? Every time that he thought about it, it seemed to hit him fresh, to pry open the wound that he’d worked so hard to seal. He didn’t know how to heal, how to recover, how to hold himself together on lonely nights like this-

A flash of red caught his eye. He narrowed his green eyes, following the red figure through the snowfall as she darted over the rooftops. What was "Mlle. Cure" doing out on Christmas night? Was it possible she was escaping somethine, like him?

Somehow, Chat didn’t find that possibility so laughable as he once might’ve. 

Still, his curiosity was piqued. He silently followed her across the rooftops, watching her as she led him to the poorer sectors of Paris. She stopped on a building that seemed to be creaking under the weight of the snow, and, soon enough, she was inside. Chat furrowed his brow, whipping out his staff. He’d use the camera to zoom in, yes…

Only then did he notice the large sack that she carried over her shoulder. Chat squinted. He knew the building- it was the city's orphanage. He couldn’t see anything clearly, and now she was disappearing behind a corner- dammit! If she was planning on doing anything to those sweet children, he’d destroy her- sad blue eyes or not. 

The thought didn’t ring entirely true though, even as he slunk into the orphanage after her. He wasn’t sure he really believed she was planning something nefarious, but he still followed her, using his suit to blend into the darkness of the hallways. He watched critically as she pulled small parcels out of her bag, placing them at the doors. His eyes widened slowly- taking in her lopsided hat, and the red color of the bag… was she giving the kids presents?

He ducked back behind a desk in the headmaster’s office as she returned, approaching the window with a now empty sack. He watched soundlessly as a little girl- Lea- waddled up to Ladybug, and he silently cooed at her slurred and tired speech. What struck him the most, though, was how Ladybug scooped up the child as if she’d done it a thousand times before. She couldn’t be heartless if she regularly took care of toddlers, could she?

He stayed in his hiding place as she carried Leah back to her room, and he listened as Ladybug, the fearsome vigilante, tucked the child into bed. And then he watched as she disappeared into the night. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Christmas morning was always one of Marinette’s favorite days of the year. She abducted Adrien from his house, and they both came to her home for a hearty breakfast of dessert crepes. Then, they exchanged gifts, sang carols, and decorated and ate Christmas cookies- it was easily one of the best days of the year. 

Marinette sighed, turning towards Adrien. “You know, you're always welcome to stay the night at my place for Christmas. I know the mansion must be…”

Adrien gave her a tired smile, shaking his head. “It’s alright, Mari. Really.”

“Did you sleep at all last night?”

“I’ll just take a nap later! Stop worrying, ‘Nette.”

After he had left the orphanage, he was no longer kept up by thoughts of his mother, which he supposed was a blessing, but thought of Ladybug replaced them. He couldn’t decipher her: she helped destroy her city, then secretly fixed it- she snuck out in the middle of the night to give gifts to less privileged children- and most of all, she hated him. 

He didn’t get it, not in the slightest. Her blue eyes were haunting him, he thought, and he didn’t know why- she was his sworn enemy, after all.

Still, Marinette was not about to let him wallow in his thoughts all day, whatever she thought they were about. She dragged him up through the bakery, depositing him at the kitchen table with his favorite type of dessert crepe in front of him. 

Yeah, today was going to be a good day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Unfortunately, my link no longer works so here's a new one for the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server  
> Miraculous Fanworks discord.


	8. Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat is a creeper who follows ladybug :).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy all. Hello. I'm back and I'll try to be more consistent in posting from now on! Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Adrien found more and more of his time taken up by thoughts of Ladybug as the months passed. He barely noticed when the snow melted off the ground, or when the flowers began to bloom- he found himself shocked when acceptance letters started coming in the mail. 

“Already?” He asked, blinking dumbly at his three friends. Alya nodded rapidly, holding one of her letters in her hand. It was for the University that she and Nino had planned on attending together. She hadn’t opened it yet, but Nino had- he was accepted. 

Alya’s hands were shaking. 

Marinette grabbed Alya’s arms, pulling her into a brief hug before releasing her. “Listen, Al. Your resume was incredible. They’d be idiots not to accept you.”

Alya gave her a weak smile before sliding her finger under the flap of the envelope. 

Adrien had to clap his hands over his ears to muffle the excited screams. 

Alya and Nino weren’t the only ones receiving letters from colleges. Marinette came in the next day with a letter from her top choice, squealing excitedly, and a few days after that Adrien had found a hefty letter resting on his desk, placed there by Nathalie. By the end of April, they had received all of their acceptance letters, and were quickly rushing up upon decision day- while Alya and Nino had it figured out, Marinette and Adrien did not. 

This led to no shortage of akumas. Adrien felt a strange sort of empathy for them- if he could magically grow huge arms and smash some buildings to vent out his frustration, he would. Unfortunately, that wasn’t exactly the best look for the hero of Paris. 

Instead, he spent his nights trying to chase Ladybug. It hadn’t led to much, he found, and he didn’t know whether or not he was hoping to catch in the act of evil or good.

His phone beeped with an alert. Groaning, he called Plagg over, swiping through the alert to discover where the akuma was. 

“Let’s go, Plagg,” He said, calling his transformation phrase.

The battle was relatively easy, all things considered. Surprisingly enough, it was a disgruntled University student this time, upset about a subpar grade on her paper, and Chat took this akuma as a welcome break. Still, throughout the fight he found his eyes inexplicably drawn to Ladybug. He watched her movements, the expressions on her face, the way she held herself while she fought. He took in the critical way her eyes assessed the situation, and how every attack was a calculated move. It was mesmerizing, really. 

The battle was over too soon for Chat Noir, and while he watched Ladybug fly off into the distance, he didn’t follow her. He had stuff to do at home, anyways.

* * *

When night fell, however, he found himself perched on the roof where their battle had taken place. He had no real reason to think Ladybug would pass through here, but he told himself that wasn’t why he was here anyways- the view was nice, and he wasn’t in the mood for a true patrol. 

Sure enough, though, Ladybug whizzed past him, holding a parcel she leaped from building to building. Chat sat up straighter, and in a flurry of movement, he was stalking the red bug. 

She unintentionally led him to a string of apartment buildings, landing gently on one of the balconies. He landed on the opposite roof to watch as she set the parcel down and backed away, turning to throw her yoyo again. 

Suddenly, though, the balcony door was yanked open. It startled both of them, as Ladybug stumbled and fell back on to the balcony and Chat gave an inaudible yelp. Chat stared as Ladybug exchanged quick words with the apartment's tenant before tentatively stepping inside, the door to the apartment closing behind her. 

He pouted as he waited on the roof. There was no good way to hear what was going on in there, so he’d just have to wait it out, it seemed. Finally, Ladybug hurriedly left the apartment, seemingly agitated. Chat took his chance, slipping in after her. 

His eyes widened when he recognized the girl. 

“Oh- you’re the girl from the akuma attack. Lisa? No, Linda? It’s Linda, isn’t it?”

The girl- Linda- nodded, her eyes wide. Chat understood- having two heroes drop in on you in one night must be a little surprising. Still, he had to cut to the chase. 

“Ladybug was just here. Why?” 

Linda had never had much of an opinion on the heroes, if she was being honest. Before today, she had never been akumatized, and while her friends had been, she’d never witnessed an akuma battle, let alone seen the heroes(aside from TV broadcasts, of course). She had supported Chat Noir’s team, in principle, but it wasn’t like she’d ever given any thought to doing anything else.

Then, Ladybug had stumbled onto her balcony, with pastries, stuffed animals, and the sincerest look of apology on her face that Linda had ever seen. Linda had been curious about the young girl- and she really was young, because some simple questioning revealed that she was just barely 18- and what she had learned made her cautious of Chat Noir, who Ladybug warned was dangerous, and evil, and corrupt. 

“She was giving me a gift.” Linda paused as she looked at the boy in front of her. Now that she noticed it, he couldn’t be much older than Ladybug. “Oh my god, you’re- you're underage too, aren’t you?”

Chat sputtered, caught off guard. “Wha- no! I mean- I can’t share my age with you. What do you mean, "too"?”

Linda kept a careful eye on Chat as she retreated to her room. “Ladybug too. What, you didn't know?" She paused, registering the contemplative expression on the cat's face. "A little too young to be risking her life on a daily basis, don’t you think?”

To Linda’s surprise, he softened. “Yeah,” He glanced out towards the horizon, “I think so.”

His cat eyes focused back on her. “What else did she tell you, Linda?”

“Why… why do you care?” she asked, trying to avoid the question. If what Ladybug said was true, she was probably in danger. She didn’t know how to feel about the kid hero- the  _ child soldier-  _ standing in front of her, but she knew to be careful. 

When he didn’t answer, she felt a small tug in her gut. His ears were folded against his head as if he was scared, or sad, and the reality of the situation just hit Linda. Two children fighting to the death, day in and day out. She started speaking before she could stop herself. 

“You know, you’re both kids. I don’t know why, but… she at least has an adult on her team. She has Hawkmoth, to direct her, I guess. You… you have a team, unlike her, but… you're alone, aren't you? I mean- you started alone. You're in charge. That... can't be easy.”

He averted his eyes, tailing flicking uncomfortably. “It’s not. But part of me thinks… part of me thinks she has it harder.”

Struck by this, Linda looked up, examining the boy fidgeting in front of her. He couldn’t be the evil monster Ladybug made him out to be, could he? What… Why did she think he was?

“What’s in that box?” His eyes had focused on the tin of cookies, and he now was moving rapidly towards it. He grabbed the lid and yanked it off, only for his shoulders to slump as he saw the contents. 

“It’s cookies, Chat. Want one?”

He glared at her, but the look held no anger. “Why?”

Linda shrugged. “She said she gives them to all the akuma victims, since she's heard it's not fun to be akumatize." Linda gave a dry laugh, grabbing a cookie for herself. "I guess it’s an apology, of sorts.”

He stared at Linda. What in the world was Ladybug playing at? 

“I need you to tell me what she told you.”

Linda could see what Ladybug had warned her about, if she squinted. He was a child, but he had a harshness about him. He'd grown up. 

She shook her head. She had nothing to do but be honest. “She’s… scared of you. And your team. And what you would do to Paris in her absence. She thinks she’s protecting Paris from you. She says... she says she lost someone to you.” Her eyes narrowed. “What did you do, Chat Noir?”

Chat Noir sighed, stepping into the room and flopping back on the floor. His tail curled around himself protectively. “Nothing. That- that’s the problem. I didn’t- well, I couldn’t have done anything to her, not like that. I truly don’t know what she’s talking about.” He sat up, before sighing and slouching back down again. “Well, thank you for indulging me tonight. I should get going. Let me know if you ever need anything.”

She nodded, and he stepped onto her balcony, preparing his staff for his departure. 

He had to find Ladybug. 

* * *

Adrien flopped down on his bed, dismayed. His search had been fruitless, despite the fact that he'd scoured Paris for hours, and he was forced to admit that Ladybug must have gone home and transformed, dashing any hopes of him talking to her tonight. 

As he had searched, though, new doubts crept into his mind- what if it was a ploy? What if Linda was somehow an accomplice, and the tin of cookies was a decoy? What if she’d been lying?

So now he was lying on his bed, three paces back from where he’d started. He groaned in frustration. What dumb story was that, that Ladybug gave every akuma victim a tub of cookies and some toy dolls? That was ridiculous. He couldn’t believe he’d been fooled. 

Then again, there was an easy way to prove if she was lying or not. He could just ask the other akuma victims if they’d gotten gifts from Ladybug as well. Yeah, he’d do that.

Tomorrow, though. Tonight, he needed sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't remember if I gave you guys the new server link, but if not... [Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server!](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) Join us! It's fun and it will make me happy!


	9. Heroes’ Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien gets some answers. But also, not really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I edited and posted this during my culinary class, sooooo.... yeah, may not be perfect. Anyways, I'm a sucker for Chat having fun with civilians and children, so enjoy!  
> Thank you again to all my consistent readers and a special thanks to Khanofallorcs, who is just awesome.

Adrien found himself stumbling through Dupain-Cheng bakery’s doors, exhaustion weighing heavily on his shoulders. Marinette was already waiting for him, which was a rare occurrence, and she silently handed him a coffee and a muffin before taking his arm, leading him out the door and towards the school. He mumbled some incoherent thanks, and Marinette nodded, stealing his coffee for a sip before handing it back to him, grinning. 

“It’s gross, as always. Don’t know why you like that, Adrien. Hot cocoa is much better.”

He rolled his eyes as best he could before taking another sip of the intoxicating beverage. “‘Ot Cocoa doesn’t ‘ave caffeine… mhm…” 

She laughed again, shaking her head as she led him to the classroom. The blackboard had a happy Heroes Day announcement on it, and Adrien was shaken out of his exhaustion by the reminder that he had an investigation to complete before the half-day was over, and also by the fact that it was already late May. How had the year passed so quickly?

Alya was already in her seat when Marinette led Adrien in. “Aw, is Sunshine feeling under the weather?”

He glared at her playfully, but Marinette answered for him. “Nope, he’s just tired. Overworked himself again.”

She gave him a scolding look and he waved her away. “Yeah, yeah. Hey, Alya. I’ve got a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“What happens after you’re akumatized? Like, not to bring up any bad memories, but do the heroes comfort you?”

Alya’s brow furrowed slightly. “I mean, yeah, if they have time. They usually have to explain the situation then run away. There’s not much comforting that goes on.”

“What- what about Ladybug? Did… did she do anything? Like a... goody bag or a gift basket or something?”

Alya looked bewildered, shaking her head. “Uh… no? Where’d you get that idea?”

“Oh… nowhere, really. Saw it on the internet, I guess.” He shrugged, disappointed, and turned back to Marinette, who was pink in the face for some reason. Odd. 

He’d really wanted it to be true- for Ladybug to have been a good person. His hope had gotten the better of him, once again. 

Suddenly, though, Rose, who had been walking in as they began their conversation, interrupted. “Wait! That’s not true, Alya. When I was akumatized into Princess Fragrance, Ladybug came to my house with a Prince Ali plushie as a gift.” Rose blushed slightly. “While I don’t like him the way I did, it’s still really soft and cuddly.”

Alya looked ready to disregard this information, but Max and Markov joined in the conversation as well. “After I was akumatized into the villain Robustus, Ladybug showed up and gave me an extra data card." Markov paused before playing a recording from his speakers. 

‘Usually, I give victims sweets or toys, but I didn’t think you’d like that, Markov, so I… I got you this instead. It’s a data card, but if you need something different…’” Marinette jumped as her voice rang through Markov’s speaker system, and the rest of the class looked startled as well.

“It’s true! When I was akumatized, she got me a video game that I hadn’t heard of! ...Though we promised we wouldn’t tell anyone about it.” Max rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“You know, she got me pastries! I mean, as long as what we’re saying here doesn’t leave this room… I don’t want to upset her.”

Adrien interrupted the influx of stories with another question. “Wait, so if all of this has been happening for… years, why has no one brought it up in our hero arguments?”

It was Nathaniel who spoke up, shrugging. “Well, she asked us not to tell anyone. You’re not going to defy her- she’s pretty scary.”

Alix blew a stray hair out of her eyes as she interrupted Nathaniel. “Besides! It’s not like we’re going to give her extra credit for apologizing for something Hawkmoth is doing. She’s complicit, isn’t she? I like her, but…”

Adrien leaned back in her seat, contemplative- Ladybug, if taken by these isolated incidents, would seem like an incredibly kind and thoughtful girl. 

But then why was she working for Hawkmoth?

* * *

The half-day ended quickly, and Marinette said her woeful goodbyes to Adrien before he was dragged back to the prison of a mansion. He didn’t mind, though- his father wouldn’t check on him, and he’d go out as Chat Noir to see the city as they celebrated Heroe's Day. 

He hurried to his room, closing his door behind him, and then quickly transformed, leaping out of the window. He vaulted over to a nearby fair and landed on the roof, surveying the scene. Everyone seemed happy as they celebrated the heroes. He smiled. 

“Chat Noir! Chat Noir!” He glanced down, seeing two young children waving rapidly at him. He grinned, leaping down from the building. 

“Well, hello there, guys! Are you enjoying the fair?” The girl nodded rapidly as her brother tugged gently on Chat Noir’s tail.

“I’m Alex, and that’s Mia. I wanna- I wanna fly like you, Chat Noir.”

Chat cocked his head. It was Heroes Day, after all. 

“You know what? I can’t take you up on my staff, but I can make you fly, how about that?” Both kids nodded rapidly, and with a grin, he scooped the boy into his arms and tossed him high into the air, catching him as he squealed. He placed Alex down as Mia reached up for his arms.

“Throw me higher than you threw him!” She cried, eyes glowing. Chat laughed, tossing Mia before catching her again. 

“Alright, guys, I’ve got to go, but you know what?” He walked to a nearby stand that sold stuffed dolls of the heroes. “You can each pick one out and I’ll pay for it for you, okay?”

The stand owner shook his head rapidly. “No, no, don’t pay! It’s no trouble, not for the hero of Paris!”

Chat laughed, shaking his head. “Nope- here, take the money. Now, kids, which one would you each like?”

Alex pointed at a Chat Noir plushie, and the stand owner handed it to him. Mia, however, crossed her arms. 

“I- I want the Ladybug one. Can I have the Ladybug one?” Chat grinned, grabbing a Ladybug plush toy, and he crouched down, meeting Mia’s height.

“Do you like Ladybug better than you like me, Mia?”

“Uh- I mean-”

“Yes she does! All she ever talks about is Ladybug!” Alex whined, and Chat laughed.

Mia threw her small hands up. “She’s- she’s so cool! She does flips, and she’s red, and- and-”

Chat handed her the plush, ruffling her hair. “Don’t tell anyone, but I think she’s pretty cool too.” He winked, before grabbing his staff out of his belt. “Cat-ch you later!”

He didn’t notice the red heroine watching from a nearby rooftop, a small smile gracing her face. 

Chat didn’t return home after the fair. He instead perched himself on a chimney top, watching his fellow Parisians enjoy themselves. He soaked in their light, their laughter, as he sat alone with his thoughts.

It had been four years since he’d gotten his Miraculous. Four years since Ladybug betrayed him(though, does it count as betrayal if she didn’t know she was supposed to be his partner in the first place?). It had been four long years, and nothing had come of his relentless efforts to find Hawkmoth and the girl behind the spotted mask. 

He knew, deep inside, that Ladybug wasn’t bad. He knew she was just confused, or misguided, or something, but he couldn’t figure out how to get through to her. And, besides, how was he supposed to focus in battle when his heart picked up speed at the thought of her?

He grimaced. Just  _ what _ did she think he had done to make her hate him?

The girl confused him, no doubt. He knew Hawkmoth wanted his Miraculous. That much was clear from the beginning- all the akumas ever screamed about was his ring. But Ladybug seemed to ignore that goal entirely- she never went for his ring specifically, even though she probably could’ve many times before. No, Adrien had known for a while that she was different, and he was finally getting the puzzle pieces he needed- but he had no idea where they fit. 

A beeping from his staff startled him, and he scrambled to grab it, knowing exactly what it would say.

“An alert from the Ladyblog,” Chat whispered. He smiled. Maybe he’d be able to truly talk to her this time. 

* * *

Ladybug sighed, racing over the rooftops. Night had fallen, so it was unlikely she would be seen, and she needed to get her energy out- Heroes Day was always stressful, with Gabriel itching to make an akuma with the "ripe emotions in the air" or some crap.

She leaped over the gap between two apartment buildings as she thought about the akumas. She never understood why they went for Chat Noir’s Miraculous- isn’t the goal to get information from him?  _ Yes, clearly he’s powerless if he doesn’t have his ring, but isn’t it more important to, like… incapacitate him or something? _

Ladybug’s stomach turned. The thought made her sick, but she reprimanded herself for that- the man was a killer. He tortured Emilie for fun. He wanted death and destruction- that’s why he’s the Black Cat. She’d seen the evidence-  _ video evidence _ \- of his organization’s wrongdoings. He was a monster.

She jumped over a gap again, fury coursing through her veins. How could she possibly be a good hero if she felt pity for the man who did this to them? How could she possibly save Emilie if she got queasy at the idea of interrogating the mangy cat?  _ Heroes don’t cry. Heroes don’t bleed. Heroes don’t- _ She shut out Gabriel’s voice. She didn’t need it to tell her she was useless.

A scream rang out, a few blocks down. Ladybug tensed, throwing her yoyo in that direction. If she couldn’t stop Chat Noir, she sure as hell would stop any crime that came up. 

She found herself crouching above a group of men, each armed, who were crowding a young woman. The girl was backed into a wall as she begged them to let her go, but they only crowded closer. 

Ladybug bared her teeth. These types of people were the worst. 

She pounced into the alleyway, landing in a crouch between the woman and her attackers. She swung her yoyo in a shield while glaring at the attackers, who looked shell shocked at her appearance. Without wasting a second, her yoyo darted out, knocking their weapons out of their hands before she whipped it around the group, tying them up back to back. She knotted her yoyo around their backs, wincing briefly as she realized she now lacked a weapon, and turned back to the woman, who was crouched and shaking. 

“Hey… hey, Miss, they’re taken care of. I’m here to help you. Are you injured?” Ladybug made her voice as gentle as possible as she crouched next to the woman. The girl glanced up and shook her head, but her eyes were wide in fear. 

Ladybug groaned imperceptibly. “Hey, I know you probably don’t like me very much, and that was a scary experience, but I really am here to help, okay? Do you want an escort home? How can I help you?”

The woman stayed silent, but Ladybug noticed her purse and its contents scattered on the concrete. She silently went around collecting them before handing the purse back to the woman, who looked up at her again. 

“Why… why are you helping me?”

Ladybug was taken aback at the question. Obviously, people didn’t like Hawkmoth and her, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t stop an obvious crime in the making. Hell, she'd done it before- why were Parisians always so surprised? She wasn’t a bad person.

“I… what? You were in trouble. Isn’t it my job to help?”

The woman shook her head, fear filling her eyes again. “N-no. You- you’re a villain.” She spat out the last words.

Ladybug shook her head frantically. She didn’t know why she felt like she needed to convince this woman that she was good, that she was fighting for a just cause, but she  _ had _ to.  _ You’re hated, Marinette. Doesn’t matter if you’re doing good- they’ll always hate you. Even your little Adrien- _

Ladybug let out a cry, before clapping her hand over her mouth, calming herself down enough to talk to the woman. 

“No, Miss, I- you misunderstand, Chat Noir and his team- they’re evil, and they do evil things. I- I’m trying to save someone important to me- tell you what.” Ladybug took a deep breath, shaking her head. All she saw was _fire, fire, fire-_ but panicking would do her no good now. “I’ll put a police call in for these guys, and I’ll leave them here, tied up. I’ll then escort you home, okay?”

The woman frantically shook her head, and Ladybug stepped back, hurt, but-

A black shadow flew down from the roof, and Ladybug yelped. Chat Noir was now standing between her and the victim, baring his staff menacingly at her. 

_ No no no no! _ Ladybug cursed, quietly. She was weaponless, and now a psycho killer in a catsuit was going to try and play hero and quite possibly hurt the victim. 

“What happened here, Miss?” Chat Noir directed the question at the victim, but his eyes were trained on Ladybug. Begrudgingly, she put her hands up, showing she was not a threat. If he used his cataclysm…

“I… those men were- they were attacking me, and then Ladybug was- and then you came…” 

Ladybug groaned quietly, thinking that the woman’s response would get her in trouble for sure, but Chat Noir lowered his weapon with a tilt of his head. 

“I see. Miss, do you need an escort home?” The woman nodded, and Ladybug frowned again, but she said nothing. 

“Alright. I’ll take you home and put in a call for these men.”

“I already called, and if you’ll excuse me for saying so, I don’t trust you to take her anywhere.” Ladybug spat before she could stop herself, and Chat Noir frowned. 

“M’lady," he said with a smirk, lowering his staff further, "they’ll come faster for me. And I really don’t think you’re in a position to argue right now.” He waved his staff in a tacit threat; she bared her teeth at him. “Oh, look, there they are right now. We’ll get going, Miss. See you around, Ladybug.” He nodded at her and took off on his staff. Ladybug cursed. The police lights blinded her- she didn’t have enough time to take her yoyo back from the attackers and follow the mangy cat. She calculated the height of the wall as the police cars closed in. She could probably scale that it…

In a running leap, she launched herself up against it, landing nearly a quarter of the way up. She dug her finger in the cracks between the bricks and scrambled higher, imagining it was Adrien’s climbing wall rather than a random surface in an alleyway surrounded by cops. She pushed herself over the edge of the roof and leaped to her feet, scanning the skies for Chat’s staff. She’d caught a glimpse of silver and took off running, following the path it carved through the sky. 

“You won't be taking another one, stupid Order…” She muttered, pushing her legs to go faster as she raced towards the staff. It didn’t matter to her that she’d seen him play with those children today, or that she’d thought for a second that he couldn’t be so horrible: no, he was a killer, and he wasn’t getting away. His staff shrunk beneath the building she was approaching and she crouched, leaning over the edge to observe. 

“Well, Miss, I’ll walk with you from here if you’d like, but I don’t think you’d like to continue on the staff…” The woman looked sick, and Ladybug didn’t blame her- Chat’s staff must be terrifying for a newbie. 

“Really, really, it’s no trouble- it’s actually better. Don’t want the media getting any ideas, if you know what I mean. So I’ll escort you from here, is that alright?” Chat’s tone seemed soothing, but Ladybug saw through it. She’d heard enough from Gabriel to know that that man was capable of horrors. He was probably planning on kidnapping those kids, too. She scowled. 

“You know what? I’m going to follow from the rooftops, if that’s alright. Then you can make any calls you need and I won’t be intruding.” The woman seemed to nod, but Ladybug froze- Chat’s green gaze was looking directly at her. 

_ Damn his nightvision.  _ She stood her ground, though, as the catboy vaulted up to her rooftop and the woman began walking. He glanced at her as she pulled out her phone, before turning back to Ladybug, who was standing now, arms crossed defiantly. 

“Why are you following us?” Chat demanded. He was honestly impressed- a quick glance proved she didn’t have her yoyo, so she must have climbed out of the alley and roof-jumped the rest of the way. He wasn’t sure if he could do that. Then again, it wasn't that surprising- Ladybug had proved she could hold her own time and time again. 

Ladybug scowled at him. “Oh, gee, why do you think? Maybe it’s because I actually care about the citizens of Paris, unlike you.” Her words rang false to even her- it sure looked like he cared about those two kids. But he was just a good actor. He had to be. 

“What? M’Lady, I’m not sure if destroying Paris daily with your supervillain partner counts as caring about the citizens.” She let out a small ‘hmph’ at the word partner, but he ignored it. “I’m, uh, the one stopping you. I’m pretty sure I care about Paris.”

Her scowl deepened to the point it was almost frightening. “Yeah, kidnapping and planning Paris’s ultimate demise is caring. Listen, I know you’ve got the rest of the city fooled, but not me. I will not rest until I break down your organization, Chat Noir. And I will not let you hurt that poor woman.” 

She blew a stray hair out of her eyes and Chat Noir felt his heart rate pick up. There was no denying this girl was pretty, and mysterious, and confusing, and passionate, but she was certainly deeply confused. Chat Noir tightened his hand on his staff. 

“Ladybug, I know you’re confused, but I swear, we can talk this out- hey, what are you…” Chat spun around, finding Ladybug darting across the rooftops again.

“Following the nice lady you promised you’d protect!” She called back, and he cursed, running to follow her. The woman hadn’t gotten far, and Ladybug had crouched on the roof again, carefully observing the woman as she walked. 

“I’m not here to fight. Not tonight.” Ladybug said, her voice carrying softly. “I’m only here to make sure this woman gets home safely. After that, I’ll… I won’t attack you, and- and I won’t try to take your Miraculous or anything. I just- I just want to make sure she gets home safely. Please.”

Chat Noir stared at the rogue. Her bluebell eyes were reflecting the streetlamps, and she looked so  _ sad _ \- well, there wasn’t any harm in letting her feel more comfortable. 

It was  _ strange _ , though. And yet somehow exactly what he expected out of the Ladybug he was getting to know. 

Mutely, he nodded, vaulting to an opposite roof and taking a seat as they watched the woman amble home. Ladybug only stood when the woman passed the building, taking a bounding leap and crouching again. 

He tried to start a conversation once or twice, tried to convince her that he didn’t know the woman she was trying to save, but every time he spoke, her gaze turned stony, and she jumped to the next building. He sighed.

When the woman finally arrived at her doorstep, Chat Noir jumped down, smiling at her. “Well, I’m glad you made it home, Miss. If you ever need me, don’t hesitate to ask.” 

He turned away as the door shut, glancing towards the sky. “Hey, Ladybug- do you need a lift home? You don’t have your yoyo, so-”

His gaze landed on the building she had been sitting on. She was gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed that! I also don't know if the current link in this fic works, so join the Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server! I'm struggling to embed the link rn, so here it is instead: Http://discord.gg/mlfanworks 


	10. Master Fu and the Love Akuma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An akuma appears that Ladybug has beef with. Adrien has a talk with Master Fu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I forgot to post on Thursday, so here's the update now. I can't promise an update for next week, cause, uh, the election... but hopefully it'll go well and I'll be emotionally stable enough to post. Thanks again to my amazing beta Khanofallorcs and to everyone who's reading this- I appreciate you <3.

Marinette and Adrien walked into school, munching on eclairs as they waited for the warning bell to ring. Dragging Adrien to a bench, she opened the bag of pastries between them, leaning back against the wall. 

“Y’know,” Adrien mumbled, mouth full, “We’ve really got to stop stealing from your parents. We’ll run them dry if we keep this up.”

Adrien had the audacity to look worried, and Marinette let out a snort. “Maybe I do, but you? You’re most certainly their favorite child, and they think you’re too skinny, so…” Marinette grinned as he choked on the eclair he was eating. “Even if you disappear off the face of the planet, you’ll be receiving packages of Dupain-Cheng food at your doorstep. I don’t make the rules.”

He laughed, and Marinette blushed. As she watched Nino and Alya walking over, she nudged the bag close to him and stood, smiling. Before they made it over, however, an akuma alert blasted through the school. Marinette yelled something to Adrien about having forgotten her homework at home and darted out, oblivious to his hasty escape as well.

Marinette ran out of the school, ducking behind a dumpster to transform. She jumped up and out, chasing the sounds of the screams to find the akuma. 

It was a young man, she thought, dressed in a deep red with a heart emblazoned on his chest. She crouched for a second to observe his power- he reached an arm out, shooting a beam of bright light, and suddenly, two people struck by it were entwined in each other's arms. Ladybug scrambled back, horrified.   
“If she won’t love me, then I’ll make her!” The man laughed, and Ladybug wanted to retch- instead, she jumped down, tackling the man. 

“Hawkmoth! You promised you wouldn’t make any more akumas like this!” She growled, attempting to pin the struggling akuma down.

“Ooh, new prey! Ladybug, who will you find love with?” She saw his hand power up a second too late and her eyes widened- there was no way she’d get out of his blast range in time, she was sure she’d get hit, Hawkmoth would get an earful, she’d-

Arms wrapped around her stomach and pulled her away from the akuma. The blast missed her and her savior, hitting a building and causing an explosion. Ladybug gasped as she was set down on a roof, glancing down at the raging akuma. 

She looked at the person who had pulled her to safety and scrambled back as she met the emerald eyes of Chat Noir.

“Wha- what the hell? What are you doing?” She hissed, scowling at Chat Noir’s cavalier attitude as he leaned on his staff. 

“Saving you, clearly. You were about to get hit!”

“Dumbass! You could’ve gotten us both hit! Then, the two people who are able to destroy the butterflies would be out of commission!” Ladybug looked disgusted.

“...I didn’t think of that." He covered an anxious flick of his tail with a smirk. "But, _clearly_ I’m alright, so no harm no foul, right?” He watched as Ladybug got up from the ground, prepared to go running at the Akuma again. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Taking down that akuma,  _ clearly _ .” She mocked him, and he scowled. 

He suddenly tackled her to the ground as another blast shot over their head, the akuma elated that he’d found Ladybug after her sudden disappearance. 

“Get off me, you mangy cat! I don’t need your help.” Her bright blue eyes were trained on him, and they were brimming with fury. For a second, they stole his breath away, before he shook his head and refocused.

“Why… Why are you even trying to help me, anyways?” Her voice was softer now, less angry, and Chat’s eyes widened.  _ Goddammit, he was so fucked. _

“‘Cause I don’t think you’re as bad as you look, M’lady. Also, because if you want to stop that Akuma, you’re on our side right now, and we can use all the help we can get.”

She paused, considering his answer. He seemed genuine, and he had been kind to the lady he returned home the night before, and to the two children… 

It didn’t matter. Either way, for this particular moment, they were on the same side. She blew a breath of air through her teeth before jumping to a crouch. 

“Fine. You and your team can tag along if you want, but I won’t be needing any more help.” 

And with that, Ladybug leaped off the roof, swinging through the path the akuma left.

Chat stared after her as his team surrounded him. “If I may ask… what the  _ fuck _ was that?” Rena asked, eyes burning. 

“Uh. She’s on our side, right now. Doesn’t like this akuma.” He shrugged, looking at his teammates' bewildered faces. “Let’s go.”

They caught up to Ladybug crouching on a building opposite to them, observing the akuma quietly. When she saw them, she rolled her eyes and held up her hand, indicating for them to stop. 

“What- what’s she doing?” Carapace whispered, staring at Ladybug.

“I don’t know…” Chat Noir was honestly worried- she’d never had to fight  _ against _ an akuma before. It was a very different experience from fighting another hero, and…

Suddenly, Ladybug jumped. The Akuma’s back was turned as she let herself freefall towards it- she first had her arms and legs extended, as if she was her own parachute, and then she flipped in midair, turning her momentum into a dive and tackling the akuma again. Her yoyo whipped out, and in a flash of light and a flurry of fists, she had tied his hands together and was reaching for a brooch on his chest. Before any of the heroes could even join her, she snapped the brooch over her knee, and, retracting her yoyo, she purified it, releasing a pure white butterfly that floated away on the breeze. 

She glanced towards the other heroes, who were looking at her in awe. “Listen, I gotta get going, but, uh… could you apologize to the public on my behalf? Kay, thanks, bye!” 

And then she was gone. 

Queen Bee’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “She didn’t even use her power!”

Chat Noir shook his head, awed at the fight he had just watched. Soon, he knew that her light would come through and repair the damage done in the fight. He closed his eyes. This girl was a good person- he just needed to help her. 

“I’m… I’m going to befriend her.”

* * *

Marinette arrived at school fuming. How dare Chat Noir rescue her like that? Sure, she had needed it, and it was kind of him, and honestly, he had really saved her ass, but she hadn’t wanted him to. That pompous cat-!

She entered the classroom to find the class in session. She wasn’t close to the school when she had detransformed, and she had to jog to get back- she wasn’t surprised that she was late. Adrien waved at her from his seat. 

“Wha- Marinette! I thought Gabriel Agreste had picked you up?” Mlle. Bustier cried, looking up from the blackboard. 

Marinette stopped short, shaking her head. “No… I had gone to the bathroom. What’s this about M. Agreste?”

“He just called, informing me that he would be sending someone to pick you up. Apparently you have an important meeting today…?”

Marinette worked to conceal her surprise. “Ah… yes, the... textiles… Well, I guess I should be going then. Sorry for the interruption!”

She left the classroom, rubbing her palms anxiously on her pant legs as she found the car and got in. 

_I am so screwed._

It had been the adrenaline and anger talking when she'd yelled at the akuma and thought about all the ways she'd murder Gabriel when she saw him next- now, she felt as meek as a mouse in the jaws of a cat. She didn't stand a chance against him. The little act of rebellion would cost her dearly, and truthfully, she was terrified. She wouldn’t let it show, though- she’d learned well from Gabriel.  _ Heroes show no fear _ .

She entered his office with her hands clasped behind her back. She was somewhat expecting a war of silence between them, but apparently, he was too angry with her to even attempt it. As soon as he heard her footsteps, he exploded. 

* * *

“What was that, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng?” Marinette’s eyebrows raised. He looked minorly disheveled, and he hardly ever raised his voice. She had to keep her cool, though, despite the fact that she was trembling.

“What was what, M. Agreste?”

“You- you- colluding with the Guardians? Do you want Emilie to die?” He was clearly furious, but Marinette had never expected this level of  _ normalcy _ from the elder Agreste. It was… disconcerting. 

“Colluding? No. You must remember that your akuma attacked me first, and that I did not ask for the Black Cat’s help.” Her heart was pounding through her chest, but- _heroes show no fear._

He scowled at her. She stayed impassive, silently repeating his lessons. _Heroes don’t cry. Heroes don’t bleed._ _Heroes show no fear._

“And I did tell you, M. Agreste, that I would attack any akuma like _that_ that you made. They’re- they're disgusting, and sickening, and I will not help them. I’ve told you this.”

“They get the job done, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.”

“Do they? Because so far they haven’t. All they do is scar people for life." Marinette thought back to the people who had been forced together by the akuma's blast and shuddered. "I don’t... I never liked akumas in the first place, but that... I will not help you with that.” Her glower was intense, and while her hands shook behind her back, she knew she looked threatening. 

Silence reigned between the two of them, before Gabriel gave up, slumping in his chair. “I… apologize for my outburst. I just want Emilie back. You understand, correct?”

She nodded. “It’s okay, M. Agreste.” Marinette whispered, though it wasn’t. “Just no more love akumas.”

He didn’t answer. Marinette sighed, and she saw herself out. 

* * *

Adrien missed Marinette during lunch, but it was for the better. With both Nino and Alya on a lunch date, he could escape to see Master Fu. He’d been meaning to talk to him for a while, but his urgency had grown since he’d seen the... well, the good side of Ladybug. 

He ducked into the massage parlor, gently opening the door to see Master Fu sitting alone, sipping his tea. 

“Ah, Chat Noir. Come in.” Adrien came in and sat cross-legged on the bamboo mats, letting the old man pour him a cup of tea. 

“Thank you, Master. I’ve been meaning to come in for a while because I wanted to ask you…” He paused, suddenly wanting to readjust his angle. “Master, how does the universe determine who gets consequences for misusing the Miraculous?”

Master Fu had drilled this into his head in every one of his visits, speaking of great universal consequences and payback. It was a system that would surely punish both Ladybug and Hawkmoth, he said. 

But Adrien now wondered how anyone, including the universe, could determine that. If people believe they’re working towards the world’s best interest, surely they don’t deserve cosmic punishment?

Master Fu gave him a strange look before speaking. “Well, it goes by whether or not you mistreat your kwami. A kwami will direct you in what they believe to be is the right path, so if you’re mistreating them, by putting it under spells or cruel commands, you’ll get what’s coming to you. Of course, Ladybug and Hawkmoth both fall in this category- both Tikki and Nooroo are sticklers for rules, so they must be abusing them. It’s heartbreaking, really.”

He paused for a second, considering. “There’s also the cosmic consequences for the Wish. That is what I assume Hawkmoth wants the Miraculous for.”

Adrien sat up straighter. “The… Wish?”

“Yes, but that is not important for our conversation today. In short, if you combine the powers of the Ladybug and the Black Cat, you are given ultimate power to make a Wish. Every Wish has an equal consequence.”

“Is it ever worth it?”

Silence settled over the massage parlor as Master Fu's eyes turned sad. “...In Hawkmoth’s case, no.”

He didn’t say anything else. 

Adrien set his tea down, undeterred. “Master, I know you’re going to disagree with me, but… I’ve been trailing Ladybug.”

Master Fu straightened, a rare smile crossing his face. “And you’ve discovered her identity?”

“Er, no,” Adrien apologized, shaking his head. He thought back to the night he'd almost seen her detransform- it had been stupid of him to not look, but he didn't regret it. “But I’ve found something very interesting. When she’s not fighting me, she’s doing good deeds. I think… I think she’s really a good person.”

Master Fu froze, tea at his lips. His amber eyes examined Adrien for signs of a joke; when he found none, he sighed, and set his tea down. 

“Adrien, what did she tell you?”

Adrien’s brow furrowed. “Nothing, I-”

“She’s been fighting against you and, by extension, fighting against justice, for four years. She is an evil accomplice of Hawkmoth, who only wishes for the destruction of humanity as we know it.” The words were the same ones Master Fu had told him for four years. This time, however, they felt hollow and scripted- it made Adrien uneasy.

“But- what about- what about how she never uses her power in battle?”

Master Fu’s warm smile was gone. “Her… power?”

“Well, yeah.” Adrien backtracked, testing the Guardian with his words. “I mean, shouldn’t she have a power of some sort? She is a Miraculous wielder.”

“Ah. I see.” Master Fu picked up his tea again, sipping it slowly. “You misunderstand, Chat Noir. The Ladybug Miraculous only grants the suit and the yoyo, along with purification, if necessary. By itself, it is at best, a side Miraculous, and at worst, a dud.” He attempted a smile, but it came off false and strained. 

Master Fu misread Adrien’s disappointment. “But you mustn't feel pity for the enemy. She is trying to aid Hawkmoth in the wish, a wish that could destroy humanity.” He stood, and turned towards the Miracle Box. 

Adrien’s frown grew. He knew Master Fu was lying, of course- he’d seen Ladybug’s restorative power at work, and he’d seen her use her Lucky Charm in battle once. Master Fu had told him he’d been alive before the Ladybug Miraculous was lost, so he must have seen it at work, and besides, he had kwamis who would’ve told him the truth by now. 

“Come here, Chat Noir.” Adrien stood, numbly, and came to his side by the miracle box. “I… am getting older, and I no longer have Wayzz to defend myself with. I trust you, Chat Noir, and you coming here to me with this means you trust me. Will you protect the miracle box for me?”

Adrien stood shocked. “Uh-”

“Do not worry. I am not transferring Guardianship to you, not yet. I am just giving the box to you, as you are more able to defend it than I. Please, Chat Noir?”

Adrien nodded dumbly as he was handed the gramophone. He knew how to open it, from watching the combination so many times, and now that power was being handed to him. It was… strange. And it felt like a bribe. 

“All I ask is that you return it, and all the Miraculous, to me once you’ve defeated Ladybug.”

“Hawkmoth, you mean?”

“Ah, yes. Hawkmoth. Now go along, Adrien. Carry it in your backpack until the end of the day, will you?”

Adrien nodded. It wasn’t like he had a choice. 

As he was walking out, though, an idea struck him. “And the pink light?” He blurted, causing the old man to spin around. “Should I still apprehend whoever I find to be behind it.”

Master Fu seemed to let out a breath of relief. “Yes, Chat Noir. Now, go along. I have an appointment.”

Adrien left the parlor, cursing under his breath. Master Fu was a liar. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. As always, theories and comments and questions are always welcome. I am once again to lazy to re-embed the link to the awesome Miraculous discord server, so here it is: Https://discord.gg/mlfanworks 
> 
> Thank you all again!


	11. A Friend and a Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien spend some quality time together, while Chat Noir talks to his team about what he's learned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Long time no see. I don't have much to say except enjoy(hopefully)!

After her conversation with Gabriel, Marinette ended up wandering into Adrien’s room, resigning herself to doing her homework. Gabriel had called her out for the rest of the school day, and she couldn’t logically make the argument that the discussion of textiles took ten minutes, so she stayed home, completing all her projects and essays for school. 

Feeling restless with nothing to focus on, Marinette found herself on Adrien’s obstacle course again. She didn’t  _ want  _ to think about anything that had happened, but the thought of Chat saving her kept nagging her. He had no reason to save her, and he had been close, too close…

Marinette felt a blush rising on her cheeks and she shook her head, willing it away. She threw herself back at the obstacle course, attempting to make the jump she had missed last time. 

Yes, this was what she loved. The adrenaline, the burning muscles, the sweat- she’d do this a million times, especially if it drew her away from her thoughts, her emotions, her weakness. With this, she could beat out her weakness, become stronger, strong enough to beat that dumb cat and his cronies, strong enough to-

“Didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t try that again?” Marinette yelped, landing haphazardly on Adrien’s second floor. She spun around, meeting Adrien’s amused but exasperated face.  _ Fuck _ . 

She hurried down the staircase, smiling sheepishly. “You’re back from school early.”

“Not really. Don’t dodge the question.”

She blushed slightly. “Ah, well… the promise wasn’t binding since it was made under duress.” She shrugged, another blush rising ot her face when she thought of the tickling attack that she’d endured last time. 

“Duress, huh?”

“Yup. Tickling counts as duress.” She turned her head away to hide her reddening cheeks. 

“Well, I’m not sure how well that would hold up in the court of law, but if you say so… then I’ll need you to promise you won’t recklessly endanger yourself again, without the aid of tickling.”

Marinette laughed. “Me? Recklessly endanger myself? I didn’t fall that time, Adrien.”

He gave her a look that made her giggle, but he shook his head as he sighed. “Okay, you’re forgiven- just this once! If I catch you at it again, though…” Adrien tried to look threatening, but Marinette just dissolved into laughter at his face- she couldn’t love this boy more if she tried. 

“Hey! I’m threatening! I’m scary! I’m a menace!” He cried as she doubled over with her laughter now. 

She wiped her eyes mockingly. “Yup, a real menace. Paris’s sweetheart is capable of great evil, I’m sure.”

He glowered at her playfully as she composed herself. “Well, anyways. You should probably get going- I’ve got some stuff to do, and…”

He cast a glance at his backpack, where the gramophone was hidden. He missed how Marinette’s face fell. 

“Oh- yeah, alright. I’ll get going then.” She started to gather her stuff.

“Wait! Mari- how about you stay for a few episodes of ‘Avatar’?” Just like that, the sweet smile lit up her face again. 

“Really? Aren’t you busy?”  
He smiled softly at his best friend. “I can spare an hour. But only if you promise to cuddle.”

“Oh, no. Adrien, you do know you’re touch starved, right?”

“Yes! I’ve been touch starved, ever since my mother left… oh, please, Marinette, it would be so cruel of you…” 

She groaned, flopping down on the couch next to him. “You cannot keep playing the mother card, you know. Eventually, it just won’t work on me.”

“Ah, but it worked on you then, didn’t it?” She smiled, snuggling closer to him. 

“Yeah. I guess it did.”

* * *

Two episodes and many tears later, Adrien shut off the TV, sobbing softly as Marinette hugged him to her side. 

“It’s just- Iroh- and then Appa- it’s just so  _ sad _ …” She consoled him gently as his tears subsided, but neither of them moved from the couch. 

“Hey, Adrien?” 

“Yeah?”

Marinette took her time to respond, carefully constructing her next sentence. “Do you… do you still miss your mother? Does it still hurt?”

He paused, glancing down at his hands. “Yeah. It does. It’s… dulled, I guess, but I still miss her. Do… do you?”

She was quiet for a second before responding. “Yeah. I do.”

Silence settled between them. “If… if you could bring her back, would you do it? Would you do anything to bring her back?”

Adrien paused again before he answered, considering her question. “...yes. Yeah, I would.”

“Okay.”

* * *

Chat Noir vaulted to the team’s new meeting spot, checking over his shoulder constantly to avoid being followed by a certain bug. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to this meeting with the team- last time he’d seen them, he’d told them he wanted to befriend their greatest and strongest enemy and then had just run off. 

He slid in through the window to find his entire team waiting for him. 

“Were you followed?” Queen Bee asked, as Carapace looked out the window. 

“No, I don’t think so. Let’s get started, shall we?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Rena Rouge mocked, approaching him. “Did you talk to the Guardian and have him convince you out of your crazy-ass idea?”

Chat rolled his eyes. “Yes, Rena. But I’m still going through with it.”

A chorus of outrage could be heard through the ranks of his team.

He sighed. “Frankly, I don’t value his opinion much right now. The very fact that he told me not to makes me think I should.”

Carapace took a few steps forward, intrigued. “What do you mean, Chat?”

“I mean he  _ lied  _ to me.”

* * *

Chat Noir had never cared as much as he should’ve about secrecy. The Guardian had always stressed the importance of secret identities, but he also had Plagg, who barely gave a flying fig about them, so it had evened out- he was the only one whose identity was still secret on the team. This, of course, was also the reason they all knew so much about the Guardian. He wasn’t keeping secrets if he could help it. 

So he told them everything, starting at his question and Master Fu’s response. He explained his initial hope- how he thought that maybe Ladybug wasn’t going to receive cosmic karma. He explained the Wish, and about Fu’s denial about Ladybug’s powers. He told them that he knew Master Fu knew Ladybug had her own powers. He purposefully left out any mention of the pink light, though- that was his and Ladybug’s secret. He couldn’t place why he needed to keep it that way, but he did, and that was enough for him to dance around the subject. 

By the end of his tale, his companion’s eyes were wide. “So you have the Miracle Box now?”

Chat Noir nodded grimly. “Yup. And if I wasn’t sure he was lying before, I am now- the spot for the Ladybug Miraculous is on the highest tier, right next to where mine goes.” Chat’s gaze shifted to Rena Rouge, who, while being so vocal before, had been silent since he had begun speaking. “Rena, what’s up?”

Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she held up a finger. Everyone waited with bated breath as she muttered to herself for a second, standing and pacing, before she spun around, facing Chat. 

“Do you think… do you think Master Fu wants to make a Wish?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join the miraculous discord server! I'm too lazy to embed, but here's the link! http://discord.gg/mlfanworks


	12. An Akuma and an Ice Cream Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat talks with his teammates. Marinette and Adrien get icecream, while an akuma looms on the horizon. Ladybug has trauma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, second chapter for the day! It's a long one too- hopefully, you all enjoy it!

Chat and the other heroes sat in a circle, training entirely forgotten. Silence weighed heavily over them as they thought about what they had just discussed. 

After Rena’s question, they had all immediately begun tossing out theories of their own, until Chat Noir had called order to the room. They had sat down, slowly going through the theory until it seemed like a very real and very dangerous possibility to Chat. 

And still, it was just a theory. Before Alya had become a hero, she was known for making incredible conspiracy theories on her blog about the heroes, that sometimes were so convincing that even Adrien started to believe them. It could all just be a conspiracy, and Chat Noir’s idol and only guide could be truly good. 

But he had lied. 

Chat’s internal thoughts raged, but Carapace seemed to have moved on entirely after a few minutes of contemplation. “Well, either way, we’re going to need more back up, don’tcha think?”

Rena Rouge perked up immediately- it was as if she and Carapace had already planned this moment out. “Yes, and now you have the Miracle Box! We thought you might want to add another hero to the mix!”

Chat’s eyes widened and he started to scooch back from the group. “Don’t suggest-”

“Marinette!” They all said in unison, with Rena and Carapace grinning. Chat ran a hand through his hair. 

“We’ve discussed this. I’m not making Marinette a hero.”

“Are you worried about her thoughts on Ladybug? Honestly, those will clear right up if you talk to her. We asked.” Her eyes widened as she realized something. “And, they shouldn’t be a problem if you want to befriend Ladybug anyway!”

Chat shook his head rapidly. “No, I-”

Carapace took over for his girlfriend. “Are you worried about her athleticism? Cause I know she seems petite, but she can beat any one of us in a fight, I swear. Maybe even when we’re suited up. She’s like the most agile person ever, and she might even give Ladybug a run for her money in the trick department.”

Chat’s fists clenched. “Marinette is very busy, and I’m not-”

“With her internship at  _ Gabriel _ ? Yeah, but she’d be taking heroing more seriously than any of that. And she’d be a temporary hero too, probably, so she could only come in when you really need her!”

“Queen Bee, please talk some sense into them!”

Queen Bee leaned back, studying her nails. “No, Dupain-Cheng would be a good addition to the team- she’s smarter than she lets on, and could be like a secret weapon. It’s interesting that you won’t you consider-”

“I’m not going to endanger her like that!” Chat Noir had stood, sending the crate he had been sitting on toppling back. The room went quiet after his outburst, and his eyes widened as he realized what he had said. “I mean… I don’t think I should put a civilian in a dangerous position, where we could lose her- I won’t-”

Queen Bee’s eyes flashed with intrigue. “ _ We _ were civilians.”

“Yes- yes, you were, but it wasn’t as dangerous then, and we’re trying to befriend a supervillain right now, so-”

“What do you mean, lose her?” Rena and Queen Bee wore the same look, and Chat Noir didn’t like it. 

“No- no, I mean, not lose her, I just…”

“Do you know her, Chat Noir?”

His silence was enough of a confirmation, and the two heroines started talking in fast paced voices. 

“Well, it’s either in the suit or out-”

“But Marinette only has so many friends, so it can’t be out-”

“Unless it was someone she met at her internship-”

“Please, one of those guys? They’re all too old for her-”

“Then he knows her in the suit-”

“But she’s been keeping awfully quiet about it-”

“Does that mean-”

“Are they-”

Both heroines turned to look at Chat Noir, who was turning redder and redder. He glanced at Carapace, but the poor dude looked bewildered and could only offer a shrug.

Rena spoke first. “Are you guys in a- in a sort of secret love affair?” She spat out the words with mingled curiosity and excitement, and Queen Bee seemed to have the same idea as her, no matter how Chat tried to dissuade them. 

“What? No, we’re just friends- I mean-” He protested.

“Wow, then she’s been doing a good job selling the anti-hero act-”

“I can’t believe she didn’t tell me-”

“I swear! We’re not- she’s not-!” Chat cried, but he was ignored as the girls talked over him.

“Wait, but doesn’t she have a crush on-”

“And I thought he was crushing on Lady-”

Adrien suddenly felt uneasy. “Who? Who does she have a crush on?”

The two heroines stared at him, before he realized how odd his reaction was. He shook his head, trying to clear it- really, as Marinette’s good friend, he was just surprised he didn’t know. He thought she would’ve told him, is all. He took a deep breath and stood before any of the other heroes could speak again.   
“Oh wow, look at the time, I’m going to head back, and see you goodnight!” 

And with that, he vaulted out the window, leaving laughing heroes in his wake. 

* * *

  
  


Adrien slept in on Saturday morning, somewhat making up for the sleep he lost as Chat Noir. He was lucky; he used to have to wake up early on Saturdays for photoshoots, but when he had mentioned that to Marinette a year or two ago, she had promptly taken it up with his father. He’d never had to get up at 4 AM again, his photoshoots now moved to more manageable hours. 

Adrien rolled out of bed, checking the time. He still had about half an hour until Marinette was supposed to arrive. That was another thing- she’d also negotiated more free time for him, which they often spent playing video games or walking around the city. She was truly incredible, and he couldn’t help but smile as he thought about his best friend. 

Unbidden, Marinette’s blue eyes were cloaked by a red and black spotted mask, and her pigtails became decorated with Ladybug’s red ribbons. Adrien blinked. He hadn’t been thinking about Ladybug, nowhere close- but now that his mind was on the topic, he couldn’t deny the blush rapidly rising to his cheeks. 

He hurriedly got out of bed, dressing and prepping himself to go outside. It didn’t take him long, and it wasn’t enough to distract him from his thoughts. Ladybug’s eyes sparkled in his mind, and whenever he shook them away, they were quickly replaced by Marinette’s chiming laugh, or her smile, or the glint in her eyes that she got when she was planning something. 

He groaned, sitting at his desk in front of the disguised miracle box. Why were these two girls taking up so much of his headspace? Marinette was his best friend- why hadn’t she told him about her crush? Why- why did he feel  _ jealous? _

And Ladybug… Ladybug, even as he tried to befriend her, was his enemy, and it would be dangerous to think of her as anything else.

And yet…

He shook his head forcefully, typing in the code for the gramophone to reveal the miracle box. He popped the lid, looking at the multiple cases and empty slots. The Cat, the Ladybug, the Turtle, the Fox, the Bee, the Butterfly, and the Peacock all were empty, but that left a wide expanse of powers for Adrien to utilize if he were to recruit another hero. 

He glanced at the remaining Miraculous. He thought Marinette might be a good Tiger, but in an ideal world, the Ladybug would be the best fit for her, he thought. 

_ Kwami, what was he thinking? _

His attention was drawn to the Mouse Miraculous. He considered it thoughtfully, as he realized its stealth features might not only suit Marinette but also keep her safe. Maybe…

The door opened, and he hurriedly closed the gramophone’s top, spinning around to meet Marinette’s grin. 

“Hey there, Adrien! I wasn’t expecting you to be up! What’s the plan for today?” She flopped on his unmade bed, propping her head up with her fists. 

Still calming down from her sudden arrival, he glanced out the window. “It’s, uh, pretty nice out. Wanna go get André’s or something?”

Her eyes widened and she nodded, grabbing her handbag and her phone. “Let’s go! It looks like he’s at the Trocadéro!”

She grabbed his hand and together they darted out the door, running past the bodyguard and armored car. It was a game they played, ever since Adrien had been chased by rabid fans and had had to ask Marinette for help. They always tried to see how far they could get in “stealth mode”, by hiding behind cars and buildings, before they had to whip out their disguises. 

They made it all the way to André’s ice cream cart this time, and they darted up to him, laughing and giggling. 

“Wow, this may have been our most successful trip yet, Mari!” Adrien grinned at her as André hummed a tune about her future love interest.

She wagged her finger at him. “Don’t jinx it, Agreste. If we’re caught with ice cream, we’ll have no chance of escaping.”

He laughed, watching as she was handed her ice cream. Mint and peach…? Who could that be?

She nudged him, and he reached out for his ice cream. It was the same scoop as he had always gotten, but he jolted at the flavors as he gave them a closer look- strawberry with chocolate chips, blackberry, and blueberry ice-cream- Ladybug’s colors. 

He accepted the ice cream with a weak smile, Marinette oblivious at his side, as they went to sit at a park bench. It didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t mean anything, because he wasn’t in love with her. It was that simple.

“C’mere, Mari. Let’s commemorate our very successful stealth trip.” He held up his camera, pulling Marinette to his side and snapping a photo of her surprised smile as he beamed up at the camera. 

“Wha- Adrien!” She laughed, swiping at his camera as he took a few more photos, catching her in her laughter and her attempts to stop him. Who was he kidding? Not even Ladybug could compare to his best friend, and he didn’t even have a crush on her, so he didn’t have an issue. 

To her chagrin, his photos were absolutely adorable, so he wasted no time posting them on Instagram, tagging Marinette with the caption:  _ To the best ice cream date around! Thanks for finding Andr _ é _ with me, @marinettedesigned! _

He put his phone in his pocket again, grinning at Marinette. She stuck her tongue out at him before resuming eating her ice cream. 

They sat on the bench in comfortable silence, shoulder-to-shoulder and thigh-to-thigh, enjoying the beautiful day. 

* * *

Somewhere across Paris, a fanboy clutched his phone in his hand as he watched likes and comments stream in on Adrien Agreste’s latest photo. Did he… did he have a girlfriend? The dark haired girl certainly looked comfy with him, and he’d seen her in other photos too. Was he taken now?

A dark butterfly fluttered into his room and embedded itself in his phone, and it wasn’t long before the fateful “Yes, Hawkmoth,” brought an onslaught of dark, black bubbles, leaving an akuma in the boy’s place. 

* * *

Marinette was almost finished with her ice cream when she heard the screams. She glanced at Adrien, who also looked alert.   
“Do you think we’ve been caught?” She asked, looking for hoards of fans that they’d have to dodge. 

“Maybe.” He said grimly. “I probably shouldn’t have posted that Instagram photo. Anyways, we’d better get ready to run.”

The screams got louder, and soon, they saw a looming shadow over the city. They didn’t need to say anything before they sprinted away- the akuma was yelling Adrien’s name, and a hoard of people were running with them. 

Marinette set her jaw. She was no use to Adrien as Marinette, so she ripped her hand from Adrien’s, ignoring his panicked look as she disappeared into the crowd. She kept running until she found a hidden alleyway, and, transforming, she leaped out and back towards the akuma. 

Adrien had seen Marinette disappear into the throng, but he couldn’t find her now, and was quickly dissolving into a panic. The akuma was approaching fast, but he wasn’t leaving without Marinette. 

He yelled her name again, to no response. Cursing, he started running- his shout had drawn the akuma’s attention, and now it knew his position. He ran faster, feet pounding against the paved road, but he wasn’t fast enough- the akuma was gaining, and fast. He wasn’t going to make it, there was no way, he was a goner-

A pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist and lifted him off the ground. At first, he assumed it was the akuma, but no- the akuma wasn’t wearing red and black spotted spandex, last he checked. His head whipped around to meet the determined stare of Ladybug, who was swinging away from the akuma. 

“Wha- what the hell?” He struggled in her grasp, but she was too strong, and she kept steady on her path. Despite his previous thoughts about the girl, he found himself gripped with panic. “What are you doing? Where are you taking me?”

She gave him a strange look as if it should be obvious. “...Away, clearly.”

“You’re- you’re Ladybug!”

“Well, yes.”

“You’re working with Hawkmoth.”

“Not exactly. Not with this.”

“But-”

She set him down in an abandoned building, where sounds of the fighting and the akuma were distant. She looked away from him as she spoke. 

_ He’ll never understand, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. Even with his mother back… He’ll never forgive you. But we’re doing this for him- we’re doing this for Adrien... _

She shook her head. “Yes, I know what you mean. I’m- I don’t like akumas, and they serve their purpose-” she spat out the word as if it was poison, “They serve their purpose with or without their targets. If an akuma is after someone, I relocate them.” She paused, as if listening, before a fiery look crossed her face. “This isn’t far enough. Come on.”

She didn’t give him a choice as she grabbed him by the waist and took to the skies again, navigating through the Parisian skyline with ease. Finally, she set him down again, satisfied. 

“You… always do that?” He asked, regaining his balance. 

Ladybug nodded. “Well, yeah. There isn’t usually a target to relocate, but if there is, I always try to.” She paused, an odd countenance crossing her face. “I… thought everyone knew that.” 

He tried to hide his surprise, but thinking back on all the akuma attacks, she was right- the victim always mysteriously disappeared. “...huh.”

“I’ve got to get going. Adrien, would you like me to carry you home afterward? Most people are too scared of me, but I’m happy to give you a lift, so…” 

_ Adrien hates Ladybug, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. If he doesn’t love you as a hero, how could he love you as just, well… you? _

_ Heroes don’t cry. _

Adrien couldn’t stop himself. “I’ll wait for you.” 

She flashed him the brightest smile he’d ever seen before taking off, swinging in the direction of the battle. 

Adrien stood, watching her go, something like awe decorating his face. Plagg flew out of his shirt pocket with a growl. 

“Uh, kid? You gonna go and defeat that akuma?” Adrien’s eyes widened. 

“Shit! I’m an idiot, Plagg. How am I- ugh! Okay, Plagg, Claws out!” He transformed and vaulted after Ladybug, towards the ensuing battle. 

* * *

When Ladybug arrived, the battle had moved closer to the Seine. Chat Noir hadn’t arrived yet, but his team had, and they were battling fiercely with the akuma. 

She gave it a closer look as they fought. It seemed to have the power to turn people into its devoted followers, which was odd, juxtaposed with its stronger build. Overall, it was powerful, so she could see why Hawkmoth had jumped on the opportunity, but she would be yelling at him for this one. How  _ dare _ he knowingly create an akuma that would target his own son? How  _ dare _ he endanger the person they were trying to help? How  _ dare  _ he-

Her train of thought was interrupted by a flash of black. She trained her eyes on Chat Noir, who was now engaged in banter with the akuma. 

Well, she had her own business to complete with the mangy alley cat. 

She jumped from her spot on the roof, landing in a roll and taking off running towards the cat. He seemed to detect her advances, abandoning the akuma to his teammates as he started sprinting off, dodging the violent punches of her yoyo. 

“Ladybug! I want to talk to you!” He yelled over his shoulder, jumping over the yoyo that was meant to trip him up. 

Ladybug grit her teeth, pushing her legs to go faster as she yelled back at him. “Yeah? I’ll bite. Why’d you offer to take me home the other night?”

Ladybug had been hiding in a nearby tree, blending in with the dark. She had been trying to make sure he wouldn’t try anything after she had left, but she wasn’t expecting such an…  _ odd _ offer.

It was suspicious. 

She caught up to the cat as he stumbled in surprise. “I thought you left!”

“Well, I didn’t.” Chat grit his teeth as the yoyo whipped out again, and he grabbed his staff, vaulting further away from the heroine. She snarled, staying where she was. 

“You didn’t have your yoyo! It was only courteous to-”

In half a second, she was upon him, and they were fighting hand to hand again. He just barely blocked her punches, and in frustration, he threw himself from the rooftop, catching himself with his staff as he doubled back towards the fight with the akuma. 

“My turn, Ladybug! I’ve never used my Cataclysm on a person!”

She hissed, and apparently, it was the wrong thing to say- she had her yoyo around him in a second, yanking him back and pinning him against the wall. He grit his teeth as his staff tumbled out of his hand. Ladybug kicked it away. 

“Bull. Shit.” She said, reaching for his ring. 

His words were panicked as he hurried to explain. “I swear, Ladybug- I don’t know who you’re fighting for, but I think Hawkmoth is lying to you! And- and I don’t know the woman you’re talking about, but I swear I haven’t Cataclysmed her, and-” Chat Noir hissed and recoiled as her hand approached his ring. He couldn’t call his Cataclysm- he didn’t want to hurt her, for whatever stupid reason. He had no other way of escaping, though. His staff was too far away from him. His only chance was if one of his teammates noticed his predicament, or-

A scream pierced the air, and Ladybug’s eyes snapped to the source- a young boy who had gotten caught in the fray of the fighting. Chat Noir vaguely recognized him- he was a kid who had taken after Alya, and he’d seen him hide to videotape the akuma battles before. Now, he was watching the kid fly through the air and into the Seine after being backhanded by the extremely strong akuma. Ladybug’s eyes widened in horror, and without a second of hesitation, she dove into the water after the kid, leaving Chat Noir and his ring behind. 

Ladybug entered the water in a panic. She hadn’t seen where the kid landed- she’d jumped on instinct. With the impact of the hit, it would be a miracle if the little boy was still conscious. Opening her eyes under the water, she saw nothing- the Seine was dirty and polluted, and she couldn’t see him through it. She resurfaced, spinning around frantically to look for traces of the child. She found nothing. She dove again. 

A series of bubbles drew her to the boy’s body- frantically, she wrapped him up in her arms, opening her yoyo and pressing it to his mouth. She pushed towards the surface despite the screaming pain in her lungs, and she finally broke it, carrying the little boy. She grabbed her yoyo and swung it to a lamppost, pulling herself to shore.

Chat Noir was already on the ground and running towards Ladybug and the child, who didn’t seem to be moving. Ladybug looked terrified as she lay the boy on the ground. 

“I know CPR! I’ll give him CPR, just let me through!” Chat yelled. Ladybug looked at him, blinking back tears in her eyes( _ heroes don’t cry) _ , and she shook her head while backing away. She still didn’t trust him, he realized, but he didn’t let that stop him as he ran towards the child. 

Ladybug turned around and ran towards the akuma. The object was clear- it was his phone, hidden in his left hand- and all she needed to do was break it. That’s all she had to do, and then she could fix everything, she could save the child-. 

She flew into the fight with fire in her eyes. Everything was a blur- it couldn’t have taken her more than thirty seconds to break the object, as all-consuming rage and grief had taken over her body. The butterfly fluttered free from the smashed object and she caught it in her yoyo before running. Diving behind a nearby dumpster, she called for her lucky charm. She threw it back into the air the second it hit her hands, releasing the pink healing light. Ladybug slumped back, wringing out her soaked pigtails. 

Her hands were shaking.

She had never experimented with her charm. She knew its purpose in battle and she knew it fixed buildings, but she knew, deep down, that she couldn’t fix death. There was no curing that, and if she hadn’t been fast enough…

No matter. She swung her way up to the roof, glancing down at the scene to see the fully healed boy and a bunch of confused heroes. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as she ducked behind a chimney to detransform.

She tossed Tikki a cookie. With the adrenaline and fear leaving her body, everything felt a lot more real, and she was forced to reflect on the moments just before everything went to hell. 

“I… could’ve won there, Tikki.”

Tikki paused her eating, looking at her holder with curiosity. “Do you regret it?”

“No.” She said it with certainty, but her hands shook as she thought about what Gabriel would say. 

_ Gabriel.  _ The name jolted her back to Chat’s frantic yelling. Something about Hawkmoth deceiving her? 

She paused, as if trying to find the right words for her question. “Do you… why do you think Chat Noir is trying to convince me he isn’t- isn’t evil?”

Tikki didn’t have an answer for her. 

And Marinette thought about the way Hawkmoth and her actions today had almost killed her, and she wondered if maybe,  _ maybe _ , Chat Noir wasn’t lying.

* * *

Ladybug swung over the city, making her way steadily back to Adrien’s hiding spot. It was a relief to see that the little boy was alright, but she was still shaken, and she would be having a talk with Gabriel when she got back there. 

She landed in the hiding spot to find Adrien waiting there, as he had promised. 

“Hey, Adrien.”

“Ladybug! Hi! Uh- how was the fight?”

Ladybug grimaced. “Wet.”

An awkward silence settled over the two. “We should get going. Where- where would you like me to take you?”

“Um, the Trocadéro is okay, thank you.”

The two of them swung back to where the fight had started. Ladybug set Adrien down, waving goodbye, before Adrien called out.

“Wait! Ladybug, why- why are you doing this?” Strangely, she tensed up.

She closed her eyes _. _ She could see it- _ Fire. Screaming. Laughter.  _ Her hands shook.

“Adrien…” She sighed, slightly, before throwing her yoyo. “There’s a lot you don’t understand.”

“Then explain it to me.”

She gave him a weak smile, mumbling out an answer that he struggled to catch. “I… The Order Of the Guardians…” She shook her head rapidly, before speaking clearly. “I can’t, Adrien. I just- I’m sorry.” With a tug, she flew into the sky, leaving Adrien behind with her words ringing in his ears. 

* * *

  
  


Marinette found Adrien quickly, and they walked home together. Adrien had seemed rather reserved, but Marinette wasn’t surprised- he’d been the target of an Akuma attack. That was enough to make anyone somber. 

Now, Marinette was storming into Gabriel’s office. She’d left Adrien safe in his room, and Gabriel had hell to pay. 

He was lucky all the rooms in the house were soundproofed. 

“What the hell, Gabriel?” She yelled, door slamming behind her. “You set an akuma after your own son!” 

Gabriel looked up. She recognized the cold fury in his eyes. “And you foolishly defeated it.”

Marinette huffed. “After it nearly killed a child! You’re lucky I didn’t go after it when it started attacking Adrien! You should be protecting your son, you asshole! Have you forgotten who we’re doing this for?”

He turned back to his tablet. “I knew you’d swoop in and protect him.”

“And what if I wasn’t able to? What if Chat Noir had come and prevented me from keeping him safe? What would you have done then, hmm?”

Gabriel stayed silent, barely looking at her as he swiped through something on his tablet. 

“You- you infuriate me! It’s not that hard not to create akumas that I don’t agree with, you know! I’ve set out a few rules, and you just repeatedly fail to listen to them. No love akumas, no Adrien akumas, and no Lila akumas. It shouldn’t be that hard!”

Gabriel spoke, his voice smooth and emotionless. “I will do whatever it takes to get Emilie back.”

“Even if it means sacrificing your son?”

“I’ve told you this before, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. No good deed goes unpunished. Paris sees us as the villains, and my son is no exception. He loathes Ladybug. He loathes you, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. You’ve failed to bring back his mother, haven’t you?”

He paused before his eyes narrowed into slits, evaluating her. “And to think you’re not devoted to that goal. You could’ve won today, and you gave it up-you gave away his mother to another day of torture at the hands of that mangy cat. How will you explain that to Adrien?"

Marinette blinked rapidly-  _ she wouldn’t cry, she couldn’t cry, she couldn’t- _

“Just- just follow the rules, okay?” She whispered, trembling. 

Gabriel cast her a glance. “Heroes don’t mumble. You’re dismissed.”

* * *

Adrien sat in his room in silence.  _ The Order of the Guardians. _ He’d heard that before, he thought. But where? And what did that have to do with anything?

He made his way over to the Miracle Box, opening it up with a few taps. He took out the Mouse Miraculous box, examining it. He’d failed at befriending Ladybug, but he was more convinced than ever that she was  _ good _ , that she didn’t know what she was doing, and that she wanted to help people. He’d seen the tears in her eyes when she thought that boy was dead, and he saw her expression when the boy had been flung into the water- it was the same as the one she’d worn all those years ago when Alya’s life had depended on her quick reflexes and kind heart. 

She had given up her objective twice to save other people. That wasn’t what a villain would do; clearly, Hawkmoth hadn’t. She had, though, and Adrien…

Well, Adrien thought that maybe she was one of the most beautiful, incredible people he had ever met. 

He shook his head. He wasn’t  _ in love  _ with her. That would be ridiculous. They were still enemies. 

He let out a groan of frustration as he reconsidered the box in his hands. Maybe another ally  _ would _ be helpful.

He closed his eyes, annoyed. When did all this heroeing stuff get so complicated?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yayyyyyy. Okay, I'm tired. Hopefully you enjoyed! As always, comments and kudos make my day!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is lost. Chat Noir comes to the rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Hopefully, you all had a fun and safe Thanksgiving or something- the holiday is not my thing at all and generally just makes me uncomfortable because like... we're feasting cause we killed a bunch of people. IDK. Anyways, I do hope everyone was able to meet with family in some way and I hope you all ate delicious food. Enjoy!

Marinette had walked home as the sun set, in an attempt to clear her mind of the fight. Unfortunately, it hadn't done her any good, so now she was transformed, running across the rooftops as if she was being chased by the image of the little girl sinking, sinking…

Ladybug pushed herself harder. Kwami, how was Gabriel okay with that? He wasn’t in the field, he hadn’t seen what she’d seen, sure… but still, how had he thought it was acceptable to ask her to fight his war? She’d been  _ thirteen. _ She’d been a child- she was still a child, legally. And she was caught in a war where someone had almost  _ died _ . If that child had drowned- if she hadn’t been able to save them…

She stumbled on the roof at the thought, and groaning, she forced herself to slow down. She was panting from her run- she’d made it over halfway across Paris, and she was exhausted. 

She didn’t want to cry, she really didn’t. She knew the rules. But she couldn’t save her city, and she couldn’t save Emilie, and the sun was blinding her and all she could see was fire, fire,  _ fire... _

Faintly, she heard footsteps behind her. Whirling around, she saw Rena, and her eyes widened in fear.  _ Fire. _ Ladybug blinked, and then it was just Rena Rouge again, looking defensive yet casual as she appraised Ladybug. Immediately, Ladybug sent her yoyo in a wide circle around her, attempting to expose any illusions. There were none. 

“Ladybug.”

“Rena. Is this an illusion I’m looking at, or the real deal?”

“The real deal.” A tap with Ladybug’s yoyo confirmed it. 

“Well, then. To what do I owe the… pleasure?” Ladybug was still on the defensive. She didn’t know enough about Rena’s powers to know if she wasn’t being tricked, so she kept one hand on her yoyo as she watched Rena’s critical eye trail over her.

“I could ask the same question, Ladybug. You don't patrol- you're not a hero- and there's no akuma or Chat nearby. What are you doing in my neighborhood?”

Ladybug huffed. “I patrol! And I stop plenty of crime while I'm doing it, thanks for asking." She paused. She was too thrown to come up with a convincing lie, so she let out a breath and shook her head. " I needed a run. If you’ll let me go, I’ll leave you alone.”

Rena sighed and looked away, tapping her foot. Finally, she spoke. 

“Listen, Ladybug. I don’t know what ‘good’ Chat sees in you, and personally, I think you’re pretty shitty,” Ladybug scoffed, and Rena huffed.“but I stand by Chat, and… you did good today, so…”

“So, what?” 

Rena kicked at the roof in frustration. “So, I’ll leave you be! Jeez, Ladybug. I’ll let you go, because I trust Chat Noir’s judgment- but if I hear that you’ve made one misstep, or you’ve hurt Chat- there’ll be hell to pay.” 

Ladybug blinked at her, but at that moment, Rena had spun away and was running off. 

_ Chat Noir… what? _ Ladybug thought over Rena’s words and let out an inhuman screech- this had to just be part of a ploy to mess with her head, goddammit. 

She took off in the opposite direction, running furiously until she heard a telltale chime of her earrings. She groaned; she should’ve known she was working Tikki too hard, and now she was too far away to make it home.

Well, she had wanted a walk.

She dropped into an alleyway, detransformed, and began walking. The best thing about being Paris’s heroine was that she knew the city in and out- or so she thought. She knew it from above better than from within, she was starting to realize, as she wandered the streets.

She pulled her phone out of her purse to find it dead. She cursed as she spun in a circle, realizing she was completely and totally lost. 

“Tikki? How are you doing on the cookie?” She asked, slightly panicked. 

Tikki peeked out of her purse. “Marinette, you didn’t pack any cookies. We’re out.”

Marinette cursed again. “Well, I guess there’s nothing to do but walk, right?”

The kwami nodded before burrowing back in her purse. Marinette sighed, beginning her walk. Hopefully, she’d see someone along the way who could move her in the right direction.

Quickly, her wish was granted, in the form of a figure taking out the trash. Marinette hurried up to them before recoiling and backing away- no matter how lost or in need she was, she would never, ever, ask them for help, not in a million years-

“Marinette?” Lila had turned around, and she looked curiously at Marinette, who was backing away. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah, I’m a little lost.” Marinette attempted her best smile before taking another few steps backward. “I just need directions and I’ll be on my way.”

Lila’s curious expression quickly shifted to one of malice, and Marinette’s instincts screamed at her to run. 

“Oh, well we can’t have that, can we?” Lila took a few long strides towards Marinette, and she hit a wall. She suddenly realized she was trapped. “I’ve got you here, all alone, and no one’s going to come and help you, are they? This could be fun.”

“Lila, I’m warning you. You- you don’t want to do this.”

Lila smirked. “Oh, I think I do.” In that space of a second, Lila had reared back her fist, aiming for Marinette’s nose, and she sent it flying. Marinette caught her fist and shoved her back, ducking under her arm and running after using her leg to trip Lila up. 

She ran faster as she heard Lila’s footsteps pursuing her, but she didn’t have to, as she was suddenly lifted off her feet and lifted into the air. She shrieked and kicked until she was put down on a roof, where she whirled to face her attacker, only to find Chat Noir doubled over in pain. 

“Damn, Marinette, you’ve got one strong punch… kick…  _ Jesus.” _ He righted himself before inspecting her. “Are you hurt? What happened down there?”

She ignored his question. “How- how do you know my name?”

His eyes widened imperceptibly. “Ah- it’s kind of a long story, but are you alright? Was- was that girl attacking you?”

Marinette narrowed her eyes at him, but answered his questions. “I’m fine.”

Chat Noir looked at her carefully. “How did you end up over here? It’s not necessarily a great place for a night walk, not with that girl wandering around.”

“I… got lost.” Marinette blushed. “What were you doing here? Don’t you have better things to be doing?”

“I got an alert from Rena Rouge that there was a Ladybug spotting in this area. I’m… trying to, uh... befriend her, i guess- but I think she hates me, so it’s not working out. Anyways, she’s not here.” Chat Noir blushed as he stumbled over his words, and Marinette frowned. He redirected his gaze from the skyline to her. “So, uh, what happened to make that Lila girl attack you?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Ah, nothing. Stuff like that happens all the time.”

Chat Noir’s eyebrows shot up. “She harasses you all the time?” Marinette shrugged, and Chat muttered something under his breath that she didn’t catch. He put on a smile, though, when she looked back at him. 

  
“Well, I should take you home. Uh, where do you live, Marinette?”

Marinette rapidly shook her head. “Uh, no. I can get myself home.”

Chat Noir raised his eyebrows. “Weren’t you just… lost?”

Marinette grumbled something similar to an affirmative. She couldn’t argue with that. 

Chat Noir grinned, picking her up again. “Then let's go!”

* * *

Marinette stayed on alert as they traveled, occasionally giving him directions as they vaulted through the sky. It was a strange feeling, as it was the complete opposite motion of her yoyo, but it didn’t make her sick as she expected it to-it was exhilarating, and a little terrifying, but it was… nice. 

Chat Noir set her down on her balcony. She blinked. He hadn't kidnapped her yet, but there was still time... She immediately turned for her trapdoor. 

“Wait! Marinette, I…” Chat Noir fiddled with the pockets of his suit, before pulling out a small red and black box. Marinette stopped, intrigued. 

“I knew your name because I’ve gotten some strong recommendations, Marinette, and… I think you’d be a good addition to the team of heroes. Um, this is the Miraculous of the Mouse, which grants the power of Multiplication. Will you take it, and join the Miraculous team?”

Marinette stared, shock plainly written across her face. “Um, I…”

“I've heard you are a fan of Ladybug, but that’s fine, really. And you don’t have to join us immediately, or for every fight, but…” He looked up at her earnestly. “We’d really appreciate it if you’d help us out sometimes.”

His eyes pleaded with her and her resolve started to crack. Sighing, she found herself nodding, against her better judgment.

“I… I accept.”

* * *

  
  


After taking the Mouse Miraculous from Chat Noir, Marinette had gone inside and immediately fell asleep, too tired to think about the ramifications of her actions. When she woke up, she staunchly refused to look at the box on her desk and proceeded on with her day despite Tikki’s pleas. She was not dealing with her dumb decisions that early in the morning. 

But she’d gone through all her excuses and she was lying awake now. She was unable to deny it any longer- she was a certifiable dumbass. As the sky darkened on her weekend, she stared at the box, considering possible ways to spin the situation. 

“I could just steal it and use it as Ladybug… But then, he’d know who I was… I could give it back to him? No, I wasn’t able to say no last time, I won’t be able to again, that won’t work… I could tell Gabriel- no, that’s a horrible idea, what am I thinking…” She muttered to herself as Tikki watched on, thoroughly amused by her chosen. 

“You know, Marinette… maybe you should join the Miraculous team.” Marinette’s gaze snapped to the kwami as she gave her a bewildered look. 

“Tikki! This is serious!” She paused for a second, before blinking slowly. “Wait, that- that could actually work.”

She began muttering again as she stood up and paced. “I could use it to spy on their team… and whenever Gabriel makes an akuma I don’t like, I can defeat it like that… and when it comes down to it, I can use the Miraculous… Yes, this is genius! Tikki, thank you!”

The kwami smiled. The girl flopped down on her bed and immediately fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Plot!


	14. Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lilakuma appears. Multimouse comes out to play. Secrets are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Sorry I forgot to update yesterday. I can't promise I'll be consistent in the coming weeks- finals and christmas and hanukkah and all- but we can hope! Enjoy!
> 
> p.s. im really proud of this chapter name

Marinette walked to school the next day with a pep in her step, despite the fact that it was Monday. She was too thrilled with her plan to be brought down by a silly thing like school, anyway. She was wearing the Mouse Miraculous inconspicuously around her neck, and she could feel it thump against her chest as she bounced to school. 

She had met Mullo that morning, and together, they had gone over her powers. Mullo was certainly confused about her plan to take down Chat _Noir("Why are you fighting him, Ms. Ladybug? You're supposed to be partners!),_ but despite that, they were willing to do whatever she wanted- overall, Marinette liked Mullo a lot. 

Tikki had warned her that wearing two miraculous at once could be dangerous or tiring, but Marinette felt fine. Great, in fact! This could really be the key- her having the Mouse Miraculous could change the tide of this war, and she'd save Emilie and stop Chat's Order forever. She was really, truly, walking on sunshine. 

That is until she walked into the classroom.

The tension was so thick you could cut through it with a butter knife. Her eyes scanned through her classmates, noticing how they all stood in slightly defensive positions by their desks. In the front of the room, Adrien and Lila stood, facing each other. She cursed softly. Whatever was going on here could not be good. She gently closed the door behind her before maneuvering around the other students. 

“Marinette! Marinette, you should go. Get away from this  _ liar. _ ” Adrien hissed, moving in front of her. 

Marinette looked at him in bewilderment. “Adrien, wha- I thought we agreed to-” 

“That was before I knew she was  _ attacking _ you, Mari.” 

Marinette shot up and back, stumbling a little bit. “What- how?” Internally, she cursed. She'd never wanted Adrien to find out- she just _knew_ he'd get like this, and now she had to mediate whatever fight was about to occur. 

“A certain  _ cat _ came to my window last night to inform me of the situation. Why didn’t you-?”

Marinette’s focus was interrupted by Alya, calling to her from the other side of the room. “Marinette! Adrien’s saying Lila’s a liar- tell him he’s crazy! You got over that a long time ago, didn’t you?” Alya’s camera was up and recording, and Marinette felt dizzy as she took in all the attention from the students. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. There was no point hiding it now, but before she was able to speak up, Adrien cut in.

“Lila’s lying to all of you!" Adrien shouted, fists clenched. "Ladybug picked me up yesterday to move me from the akuma and she said she didn’t even know Lila, and Chat Noir and Ladybug are not star-crossed lovers like she’s been saying!” Adrien ignored the heat rising to his cheeks at the thought. “And, worst of all,” He glared at her, “She’s been beating up Marinette.”

“Beating up is a stretch,” Marinette muttered, before shaking up her head. “I mean, she’s been trying, sure, but I'm a little- a lot- stronger, so...”

No one seemed to listen to her as Lila burst into crocodile tears. “No, that’s a lie! Marinette’s been attacking me, and- and I know about Ladybug and Chat Noir because I’m- I’m Rena Rouge!”

Silence. Then, Alya put her phone down on the desk. “Bullshit.”

Lila’s eyes widened as she looked at Alya. “Wha- Alya! I thought you were on my side!”

Alya’s eyes were flaming as she looked at the liar. She opened her mouth to give an explanation but halted at the black butterfly fluttering down. It landed in Lila’s phone before anyone could react, and a second after that, she was consumed by black bubbles. 

Marinette grabbed Adrien’s hand, dragging him out the door of the classroom as their screaming classmates stampeded after them. Her fury was unmatched- Hawkmoth had  _ promised _ not to akumatize Lila again, and if her hunch was right, he’d broken a second rule too. This akuma would be going for Adrien, and she’d be beating Gabriel’s pasty-white ass tonight. She cursed quietly. She'd probably take a verbal beating from him again if she had to step in as Ladybug, and...

A thumping against her chest reminded her that she had another option. Mullo’s necklace... it could allow her to abandon Ladybug and be a whole new hero. 

It wasn’t a horrible idea, she realized with a start. 

Sighing, she forced herself to get lost in the crowd again, dropping Adrien’s hand and losing him to the stream of people as she ducked into the girl’s bathroom. Diving into a stall, she muttered Mullo’s transformation phrase before examining herself in the mirror. Her pigtails had switched to space buns, and she was now in a gray suit with rose accents. She let out a sigh of relief- no one would recognize her as Ladybug like this. She grinned. 

She ran out of the bathroom, wielding her jump rope in her hand like a weapon as she quickly scaled the building. The akuma had traveled quickly, so Multimouse followed it, finally crouching on a building next to Chat Noir as they watched her circle the Eiffel Tower. 

“You came!” Chat Noir cried, quietly. Multimouse nodded, her attention entirely focused on the akuma. 

"'Course I did," Multimouse bluffed, her muscles clenching as she repressed the urge to throw a punch to Chat's annoyingly perfect face.

He grinned. “Okay, you stay hidden. I’ll bait her. Try to sit this one out, alright? It's your first time, so maybe just observe.” Multimouse nodded, but she had no intention of following his instructions- she was far too angry to sit back and watch.

Chat leaped to another rooftop before calling out. “Wow, Lila, is this your… fifth akumatization? And your class still believes you?” Chat Noir clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “Disappointing. Lucky for us, it looks like this time will be your last!”

The Lilakuma- from here, it looked like another Volpina- laughed. It was a maniacal, sickening sound, and Multimouse gasped- _blood, screams, firefirefire_ \- before she was jolted back to her senses. Her stomach turned. Where had she heard that before?

“Oh, Chat Noir, I’ve been akumatized more than five times. A few extra times to teach your little Ladybug a lesson, hmm?” Lilakuma laughed again, the same stomach-turning sound as before. Multimouse felt sick. 

With a note on her flute, an explosion wracked a building to their left. But no, it wasn’t a building, it was a small village, and the children were screaming, and that maniacal laughter…

Multimouse couldn't breathe. She'd seen that before, she had- that exact scene, those exact people, that exact all-consuming fire- she'd seen it in Gabriel's chamber. She knew what came next, to- it had been all she'd seen when she slept, all she'd seen when she'd closed her eyes for _years._ She knew what came next, and she didn't want to see again, but-

_ Boom.  _

The village- the _illusion_ \- exploded into flames, and then flicked away, leaving no trace of its presence. 

Multimouse couldn't breathe. 

“What did you do, Lila?” Multimouse snapped back to the present by Chat Noir’s growl.

“Oh, nothing. Just some… motivation.” She laughed again before flicking her flute to the building to their right. It was engulfed in flames, but no- Multimouse(or was she Marinette right now? She couldn’t tell) saw the preschool where all the children burned alive, the one she’d seen in Gabriel’s lair, the first time she’d slipped up, the first time she’d made a mistake…

It hit her all at once and not at all. The realization was barbed wire, wrapping her up tighter than a blanket and she could feel herself bleeding, bleeding out and she couldn't breathe and-

_ Oh, Kwami. _

She looked at Chat Noir, who looked positively livid, and felt tears rise to her eyes- but no, now wasn’t the time. Now wasn’t the time, not at all.  _ Heroes don’t cry. _

“Chat.” She whispered, breaking his focus a little bit, pulling him away from his staredown with Lila. “Let’s- let’s make a plan, then.”   
  


* * *

Multimouse didn’t think while she fought. She couldn’t let herself think- because if she thought, then her mind would inevitably be filled with fire, and that goddamned laugh( _ of course _ ) and then she’d cry, and _heroes don’t cry._ She filled herself with a numb buzzing, a static feeling that filled her limbs and thoughts as she executed their plan. It was seamless and quick, but Multimouse was left feeling empty, cold. 

She had left by the time Chat Noir destroyed the akuma. 

The odd buzzing filled her as she returned to school, blocking out Tikki’s pleas and Mullo’s questions. It kept her walking through the hallways and back to her classroom, where she sat in her seat and nodded along, smiling, as if nothing was wrong. She felt like she was sinking- every flash of red in the hallways, every glance at Alya’s hair, every bang of lockers- they all sent her spiraling, dipping and diving into nightmares of horrors that she’d relived a hundred, a thousand times. She couldn’t stop it, couldn’t stop the explosions plaguing her brain with their pleas for mercy. 

She closed it out, letting the static take over again. 

The static pulled her through the school day, and when the final bell rang, a small thought begging her to act normally dragged her to the Agreste Mansion. She stood outside the gates for ten minutes, holding back the urge to retch. 

He had  _ lied  _ to her. 

Still, she pushed through the gates and into M. Agreste’s mansion, the static receding enough for her to make a game plan. This was her element, truly. Making plans and all that. Still, she never thought she’d be planning _against_ M. Agreste. 

He looked up at her as she entered his office. “You akumatized Lila.”

“You didn’t show up.”

Marinette found herself nodding. “Well, you had broken the rules you had agreed to. I wasn’t going to fight for you.” Her voice was calm and level and sounded alien, even to her. 

Gabriel cocked his head. “Is our alliance terminated, then?”

Marinette shook her head. She was numb as she spoke, but she knew she couldn’t pretend anything had changed, even as someone screamed every time she turned away, every time she blinked.  _ God, why can’t I get it out of my head? _

“No. You pulled back the akuma on your own. I’ll take that as regret."

It wasn’t what happened, of course. A mini-Multimouse had scurried up Volpina and had broken the object, making it appear to the outside eye as if Hawkmoth had changed his mind. 

Marinette knew better.

Marinette knew better, and she knew that every surface in this house was splattered in the blood that only she could see, blood that was haunting her nights and her days and she couldn’t escape the  _ fire _ -

“Still, don’t mess up again, M. Agreste. I don’t know if I’ll tolerate it again.” Was that her speaking?

She spun on her heel, walking out of his office and the mansion. She didn’t have a choice, really. If she had stayed, she might have launched herself at him in a fury. 

Marinette let the numbness carry her home, past her mother’s worry and into her room. She sat down heavily, images flashing through her head painfully. Mullo burst out with questions, but she couldn’t answer them- instead, with a quiet apology, she lifted the necklace off her neck and placed it back in Chat’s box. She shoved the box to the back of her desk, before climbing up into her bed, Tikki fretting behind her. 

* * *

Marinette sat in her room silently, willing herself to feel, willing emotions to replace the static in her brain. Nothing came, though. 

“Tikki?”

“I’m here, Marinette, I’m right here.” Tikki soothed, nuzzling into her chosen’s hair. 

“Did you know?”  _ Was it all a lie? _

“No, Marinette. If I had…” Tikki had an odd look on her face. 

“He lied to us, Tikki. I thought you said the Order was bad, and I thought those videos were real.” Marinette spoke as if she were giving the weather, rather than talking about the life-changing information she had stumbled upon. It was ironic, really- she couldn’t do anything but _feel_ dangerous little emotions all her damn life, but now- now, when she wanted to kick, and scream, and- and even _cry_ , she was just empty. 

_ Heroes don’t cry. _

But she wasn’t a hero, was she? Everything she was fighting for was a lie, and yet, she still saw fire and blood and tears in the smallest flash of red, and she still couldn’t sleep without the nightmares plaguing her. 

And yet, she couldn’t cry. 

She willed tears to her eyes- she knew that if she just  _ started  _ crying, a dam would break, and she’d be inconsolable- but nothing came. Her eyes were dry. 

“Marinette?” Tikki whispered, trying desperately to get through to her Chosen. 

“Yes, Tikki?” The hollowness in her voice shocked even Marinette, but she couldn’t find warmth within her- she was a void, a cold, vast, space that she was lost in. 

“...It’s okay to cry, you know. I know Gabriel-”

“No,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “It’s not. Come on, Tik. We’re going out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe. Heh. Heh.


	15. A Starry Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat finds his Lady on the Eiffel Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Sorry for the late update- this week has been quite difficult in terms of school! I actually edited this chapter during my gym class, lol. In news about me, I wrote an english essay claiming that I'm god. I'll let you all know how that goes for me.   
> Enjoy!

Ladybug found herself on the Eiffel Tower as the sun set above the city. It was so beautiful here, as the Parisian lights glittered and danced below her. Still, it wasn’t enough to take her mind off of the horrible revelations she’d had, the horrible thoughts…

She rubbed her eyes, but they were dry. Her heart was roaring, her mind was tearing itself apart, and everything she knew had been disintegrated at her feet, and she still couldn’t cry. How  _ fucking _ ironic. 

Gabriel had lied. She had recognized those illusions; there was no escaping it. She had recognized that laugh. She'd seen the same horrors Lila had painted over Paris in Hawkmoth's lair. 

And he'd _lied_ to her. She didn’t know why, of course, and she didn’t want to think about it- every time she pushed that question further, she felt her seams rip and tear. She couldn’t bear that. 

She wanted to justify it. Maybe this was the only lie- maybe everything else was true, maybe Chat really did have Emilie locked up in a cellar somewhere. 

She closed her eyes, letting out a pained sigh. Not even someone as gullible as she was convinced by that. 

She didn't want to think about it.

No matter where she led her thoughts, though, they always led back to the same thing: They were- _she_ was the bad guy. 

She didn’t want to think about that, either. 

For a second, the orange sky looked like a burning field she’d seen in Gabriel’s lair, and she let out a gasp, squeezing her eyes shut in pain. Why was it that now- now that she knew they were illusions, lies- they were haunting her more than ever?

Two taps sounded out from behind her, but she didn’t need to open her eyes to know what it was. She briefly wondered if maybe it would just be better, at this point, for Chat Noir to take her- if he tried to fight her, he’d win. Even if she was at her best, she’d give up.

She didn’t even know what she was fighting for anymore. 

But he didn’t come over- he just stood, watching her, from some other part of the Eiffel Tower. Sighing, she reopened her eyes. He didn’t move.

“Did... you mean it? When you said you didn’t know who I was talking about? When you said…” Her voice was dull, flat, and she couldn’t muster emotion to the surface even for her greatest enemy. She let out an inaudible laugh.  _ Hawkmoth must be so proud _ .

Chat Noir examined Ladybug before he answered. Her pigtails were disheveled; her back was slumped. It was odd to see the great Ladybug so defeated, so  _ broken _ , and it was terribly heart wrenching, too. 

He carefully padded over to her, sitting far enough away that she wouldn’t be spooked. “Yes, I meant it. I’ve never… I don't know who... I would never…” He tried to plead with her with his eyes, but she wasn’t even looking at him. Instead, she stared at the Paris skyline with a blank face.

He'd never seen her like this. Every interaction was something of a tempest; every emotion, though she tried to hide it, was an explosion. He'd seen her angry, sad, scared, even happy, once or twice- but he had _never_ seen her like this. 

“I saw the battle today. With Lila. I was there, but I didn’t- I didn't help her." She paused. "Matter of principle.”

Chat’s expression shifted, slightly. Had she heard what Lila had said? 

Ladybug lifted her hands to her ears as if trying to block out some silent noise before lowering them to her pigtails, tugging at them in a way that looked almost painful. He wanted to reach out and stop her, but they weren't friends- he didn’t know the first thing about helping her. 

“Ladybug. Can you… can you tell me what happened?”

She stayed silent, but the tightness in her fists indicated that the answer was no. He scootched closer, trying again.

“Just… tell me what you can. Just exactly what happened.” 

Ladybug’s hands lowered. She… could do that. The facts couldn’t harm her. 

“There were videos. He showed me videos. He showed me blood, and murder, and fire-” Ladybug blinked, and suddenly, that was all she could see- she let out a cry, and Chat was scrambling towards her, but she flinched back, fear in her eyes. 

_ Heroes don’t show fear.  _

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to-” Her words were barely a whisper, but they shredded Chat’s heart. He walked forward slowly, being careful not to startle her, before taking a place at her side. He gently removed her hands from her hair, clutching them in his own. She looked at him with a mix of bewilderment and hope(and a tiny touch of fear- she would never be able to erase those images from her mind, despite Gabriel’s rules) and he gave her a gentle smile before squeezing her hands. 

“Shhh,” He whispered. “It’s not your fault, Ladybug.” He didn’t know what had happened to her, but she had a haunted look in her eye and it hurt him. He had no option but to help her. 

She shifted her gaze back to the horizon.

Silence reigned over the two, before Chat Noir spoke again, a soft sound that for some reason made Ladybug’s heart hum. “So, you know…”

“He was lying to me.” Still, her words were toneless. “All- all the videos- they were all lies-”

She gasped, as her emotions drowned her in pits of fire- it was too much, it was overwhelming, she was  _ burning _ , along with those children and mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters-

“Ladybug? Ladybug. Look at me. Okay, breathe. Hey, can you tell me five things you can see? Just five things, Ladybug.”

She vaguely realized she was gripping his hand, and let out a strangled gasp. “F- _ fire. _ I see  _ fire _ , and- and children, and-”

“Ladybug, no, wait-” 

Her breath was coming out too fast, now, he realized, and he couldn’t stop her from frantically scratching at her arms as if she was trying to make herself bleed through her supersuit. In a moment of panic, he bundled the small hero up in his arms, pressing her face against his shoulder. He listened as her breathing slowed, tracing his clawed fingers in repetitive circles around her back. 

When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper. “Do you… do you still see fire?”

The word made her flinch, but she shook her head against her chest. “No… I see your suit. It- It’s black.” Even though the words were simple, it seemed like she was conveying something great. Chat did his best to listen.

She pulled herself away from him, but stayed close, pressed up against his side. It didn’t seem like she noticed their proximity, but Chat did as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. 

“Your suit… it smells like… leather.” The thought seemed to deeply concern her. 

“Well, yeah. It is leather.” 

She glared at him. “No, it’s not. It looks like leather, but it’s- it’s magic, or something. It shouldn’t  _ smell  _ like leather.” Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me you incorporated the scent of leather into your suit design. You could not have used millenniums-old kwami magic to make your suit smell like leather.”

Chat flashed a sheepish smile. “Guilty as charged.”

Chat wasn’t entirely sure what he was expecting from her. Silence, maybe, or another glare from her brilliant eyes, but a laugh- a real, joyous, sing-song laugh- was not it. She flashed him a smile before she remembered she wasn’t supposed to, molding her face back to an impassive mask. 

Chat sighed. He had liked her laugh. 

“You can take my Miraculous, you know. I won’t stop you.” Her voice was soft and weary, and Chat glanced at her. Did she really think he was going to kick her while she was down like that?

He didn’t respond, instead taking her hands in his. She stayed still as he began to speak. 

“What… what were you fighting for, Ladybug?”

Ladybug didn't entirely know how to say it, but she owed the cat hero that much, at least. 

She steeled her voice as she began to speak. “I lost someone. And Hawkmoth said… he said you had her. And I saw you Cataclysm her, and torture her, and I thought-” Her voice broke, but she cleared her throat and kept speaking. “I was told you destroyed towns, and villages, and I  _ saw _ you murder children, and there was so much- so much  _ fire _ …” She whispered the last word and shuddered. Chat didn’t know how to help her, and he was suddenly filled with a burning rage for Lila- though, maybe burning wasn’t the right word.

She stared out at the great expanse of sky, now black without the sun’s light. Her mask had broken, it seemed, as she looked mournful now, almost regretful. 

“I should’ve known, really. I was told that- that the Black Cat was the greatest Miraculous, and that I needed to capture him because- because he’d know where she was. I was told he was the highest in the ranks of the Guardian, and that he was my main target- the great, fearsome Chat Noir.”

She let out a bark of laughter, and he huffed slightly. “But then- I saw you. You were… so young. A kid. I couldn’t understand how… how a  _ child _ had spent years in pursuit of my Miraculous, destroying everything in his path. Plus,” She added, as an afterthought, “You weren’t that good of a fighter. You learned quickly, but that first battle, you didn’t understand your Miraculous. I should’ve realized.”

As she spoke, she pulled the ribbons out of her hair, fiddling with them. “But he lied to me again, see. It was a really dumb lie. I shouldn’t have bought it.” She spoke matter-of-factly, and Chat’e head spun as he watched her. “But I did, clearly. I- I was scared. It was my first mistake, obviously- heroes don’t show fear. And I guess… if she was with you, then she was somewhere. She was findable.” 

He paused. "I really wanted her to be findable."

Chat expected her to go on, but she went silent, staring off into space. He couldn’t speak; he was still struck by Ladybug’s story, her pain, and most of all, her indifference. What was going on in her head?

“She could be dead.” Chat looked up, startled. Ladybug sighed. “I’m sorry, you probably think I'm heartless or something. It’s just… she could be. Before, I knew she was alive. Now, she could be dead.” Ladybug turned to face Chat, her eyes wide. “Chat, what if she’s dead?”

Chat Noir moved to gather her in his arms, but she wasn’t crying- she was scared and sad, but there were no tears. 

“We’ll… figure it out, M’lady.” The nickname that used to be taunting was almost sweet now. “We’ll figure it out for you. I- I promise.”

She shook her head, her tangled hair swishing behind her. “You can’t promise that.”

She paused for a second before speaking again, moving her fingers up to detangle her hair as she thought.  “Chat?”

“Yeah, M’lady?”

“When you take my Miraculous,” She started, giving her hair a sharp yank, “Can I say goodbye to my kwami? Tikki will blame herself, I just know it, and-”

“I’m not taking away your Miraculous.”

Ladybug’s gaze snapped to Chat, before she narrowed her eyes. “You’re… what?”

“I’m not taking it away, Ladybug. You… You’re not a bad person. I think you’re rather good, actually- just misguided. I’d rather… I’d rather you join my team and take on Hawkmoth with us.”

Ladybug scoffed. "That's stupid of you. I can see why you haven't won yet." She shook her head. "Seriously, Chat Noir, what are you thinking? This could all be an act, you know, and-" She paused, her hands going limp in her hair. “Your team hates me, Chat.”

“They hate that you’ve fought against them, and that you’re good. When you’re on our side, those are assets. Besides, I’m their leader. They listen to me.”

Ladybug let out a small laugh, giving him a gentle nudge. “They… listen to you? All you do is- is make stupid puns in battle!”

“My puns aren't stupid! Besides, I hold you off! That counts for something.”

Ladybug’s gaze became sad again, and Chat felt himself wilt. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.”

He hurried to fix the situation. “Well, hey! That means they pretty much gain two team members! And really, Ladybug- You’re kind of pawsome. I want you.”

Ladybug’s looked at him questioningly. “On the team, I mean! Not that I don’t- ugh.” He looked up at the stars to hide the blush on his face. “I sound like my best friend right now.

Ladybug smiled, swinging her legs. “She sounds like fun.”

“She is.”

They lapsed into silence, the only sounds being those of cars honking and driving below them. Finally, Ladybug spoke up again. She had unconsciously leaned into Chat’s side, and was looking at the stars- overall, Chat was quite comfortable. 

“Why- why are you being so kind to me, Chat Noir?”

The question took him by surprise. He hadn’t ever considered anything else, even when she was attacking him at full strength. This girl was not responsible for her actions, not with an abuser like Hawkmoth lying to her and hurting her like he was. How could she ever think she was at fault here? His chest grew tight at the thought.

“None of this,” He whispered, pulling her a bit closer, “None of this is your fault. You deserve kindness, M’Lady.”

Ladybug looked at him with an odd expression before pulling away, hastily retying her pigtails and standing up. 

“I… should be going, Chat Noir. Thank you for chatting with me- I mean-” She shook her head before throwing her yoyo and swinging away, even as Chat scrambled up to stop her. He slumped, looking at her disappearing form, before taking off towards the mansion.

He certainly had a lot on his mind tonight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas, friends!


	16. A Cloudy Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat and Ladybug have another chance encounter on top of the Eiffel Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry for the wait. It's been a hectic couple of weeks with a lot of personal stuff going on, so I've been away from writing, but I'm back! On top of that, I'll have a bunch of new oneshots out as soon as I get the courage to post them, so look out for those!  
> Enjoy!

Marinette found herself sick to her stomach the next morning, despite Chat Noir’s assurances the night before. She could’ve stopped so much pain, and while she still didn’t know what she was doing, she was sure she had been wrong before, and that thought made her nauseous. 

Out of all the outcomes, she had never expected to think of herself as the  _ bad guy _ . 

Still, she found her way to school. She kept smiling even when Hawkmoth sent an akuma, for which she appeared as Multimouse. She kept smiling through her visit to Adrien’s house, her work at the Agreste building for her internship, her way home. As soon as she was safe in her room, though, the edges of her lips fell, and she transformed into Ladybug, climbing up onto the Eiffel Tower to listen to the police scanner for signs of conflict throughout the city. If she could help in any way- if she could  _ fix this _ -

She stiffened at the sound of footsteps behind her. 

“Hey there, Ladybug.” Chat came and sat down next to her, ignoring her unnatural stillness. “How are you doing?”

She shrugged slightly. Her face was unnaturally stony. Chat Noir sighed, swinging his legs slightly. 

“M’lady, that’s not all that convincing, if I may be frank.”

“You don’t have to keep coming here, you know.” 

Chat cocked his head to the side. “I want to, though.”

Silence settled over them again. Chat acted unbothered, but Ladybug couldn’t keep from fidgeting. 

Finally, she burst out with it. “I can’t believe he lied to me! I trusted him- I put so much trust in him, and- and he always seemed so genuine, and he- he was always just  _ lying _ to me. He made me give up so much of my life to fight for something that- that was lies!”

She huffed, sinking into Chat Noir’s side as she measured out her next words. “If- if you guys don’t have her- the woman I was talking about before, I mean- then where is she? Why would Hawkmoth make me do all this if she wasn’t really kidnapped?”

Chat eyed her. “Was that rhetorical or do you want the real answer?”

Ladybug glared at him. “Real answer, dumbass. I need to know why I’ve been complicit in terrorizing the city.”

“I… have a mentor of sorts, too, and he seemed to think that Hawkmoth wanted to combine our Miraculouses. He said that it would give the user a Wish, or something, and he thought Hawkmoth wanted to use it. Of course, there’s an equal consequence for every Wish, so…” Chat Noir shrugged, glancing over to see Ladybug’s face. She looked almost ethereal, illuminated by the moonlight the way she was. 

“Huh.” Her lips barely moved to make the syllable. “So I’ve been doing all this… fighting every day, risking my life, terrorizing my city, all for some… wish?” She let out a sound that rang of heartbreak, but she shook her head and cleared her throat. 

“I don’t know for sure, though, Ladybug. It’s just a guess, really. It’s certainly possible-”

“No.” Chat’s gaze snapped to her. Her eyes held a steely resolve. “No, that’s what he was going for. I’m sure of it now. It- it makes sense.”

“You know,” Chat said, clearing his throat, “My- my mentor lied to me, too. Not- not the way Hawkmoth did, but the Guardian’s a liar too.” He paused. “What I’m trying to say is that we’re- we’re both pretty alone in the world, I think.”

Ladybug took his hand, squeezing it gently. “I’m sorry they lied to you, Chat Noir.” She looked up at him with incredible sincerity in her eyes. “And I’m sorry I thought you were a murderer and a kidnapper. You seem very nice.” 

Chat let out a hearty laugh. “Yeah, I really am the cat’s meow, aren’t I? Purrty pawfect.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened before she gave him a hard shove on his arm. “No, not you too! I didn’t realize you actually liked puns!”

He laughed again before they lapsed into silence. 

“I’m… really a terrorist, aren’t I?” Chat gave her a concerned look. “No, I’m serious. I always knew Hawkmoth was considered a terrorist, and I guess I knew I was an accomplice, but I was so sure… I was sure that once we exposed you, when we showed the world the malice you inflicted on it, they’d realize we were in the right all along, and- and they’d love us, and understand us, and…” She sighed heavily.

“But no, I was wrong. I was tricked by goddamn _Lila_ of all people. And now… I’ve done horrible things, Chat.” Her eyes were haunted when she looked at him. 

He shook his head rapidly. “No, Ladybug. I- I wouldn’t be here if you were as evil as Hawkmoth, or anywhere close. M’lady, you’re- you're different. You deliver care packages to the akumatized civilians, and you move the akumas' targets to keep them safe, and you dive into the water after little girls who are in danger." He paused, shaking his head. "You know, I’ve checked some of the police stats- you’ve stopped more crime than even I have, and most of the time they don’t even write your name down out of spite. It’s- it has always been clear that you care about the city, even if you’re… misguided.”

Ladybug stayed silent, but Chat knew she was listening- there was a certain way she tilted her head, a certain expression on her face, a certain look in her eyes that he could just understand. 

He pressed forwards. “And… something’s telling me that it’s more complicated than it seems. I don’t think the Guardian has been leading me in the right direction either. I think… I think if we’re judging based on pure character, you win in a landslide.” 

A hint of a smile graced her face.

He furrowed his brow. “Hey, Ladybug?” 

“Hmm?”

“Why do you never use your Lucky Charm in battle?” Ladybug’s gaze shifted sideways a bit, but she sighed, looking down at their clasped hands. 

“I… tried it a few times, discreetly. It never really worked, though. My goals were too confused, Tikki said. Besides, if Hawkmoth noticed my magic object and saw that it magically disappeared at the end of the fights, he might be doing more investigating into my powers.”

She winced at that statement, and Chat shifted to get a better look at her face. “Wait, so he doesn’t know you’re the cause of the- the, you know, the pink light stuff?”

She startled. “You do?”

He nodded sheepishly. She shook her head.

“He… viewed my cure as a threat. I learned that the first day I performed it, but I couldn’t leave my city broken like it was, so…” She shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

His next words came out as a whisper. “How can’t you see that you’re a good person, M’Lady?”

She didn’t respond, instead asking. “Why do you call me that? M’Lady?”

He did his best to ignore the blush rising in his cheeks. “Ah, yeah. Well, you know, when you first showed up, I thought you were going to be my partner, and I thought it would be a cute nickname… but then you weren’t, so I used it as much as I could, out of spite. Now that we’re friends…” He shrugged, but Ladybug smiled. 

“I like it.”

Ladybug sighed, releasing his hand to undo her hair ribbons. She started yanking her hands through her knotted hair, but Chat stopped her. 

“Let me, M’lady.” He whispered, moving her hands back to her lap. With her permission, he gently ran his claws through the tangles in her hair. It was a slow process, but soon enough, the tangles were gone, leaving Ladybug with her hair down. She smiled softly at him and his breath caught in his throat- she looked more stunning than she ever had, with her eyes sparkling and her hair rustling softly with the breeze. 

She lay her head back on his lap, before shooting back up in embarrassment. “Oh- I’m sorry- do you mind if I-”

“N-not at all.” Chat stuttered out. She flashed him a shy smile, before settling her head on his lap. She let out the tiniest of breaths as she stared at the sky, a tender look crossing her face. 

After a moment of quiet, she spoke. “Do you know any constellations, Chat?”

Chat glanced up at the sky, searching for the stars. He had to squint to see even Orion through all the light pollution, but the stars were there. He glanced down at Ladybug’s glittering eyes. 

“Yeah, I know a few.”

“Can you… can you tell me about them? Can you tell me their stories?”

Chat glanced back up at the sky briefly before looking back down at her. She was looking up at the sky with such wonder, such awe, that he knew he’d struggle to refuse her. 

“Well, I’m sure you’ve seen Orion before.” He waited for her to nod before continuing. “That’s him up there. Well, part of him- you get what I’m saying. You want to know the mythology of Orion?”

She nodded again. 

“Okay, well… There was once… a man. Named Orion. And he… he was best friends with a cat, who could talk. And he fed the cat, um… cheese, and milk! Yes, he fed the cat milk, and the cat appreciated it.”

Chat could feel himself getting into his groove now, unaware of Ladybug shaking with silent laughter below him. “Little did he know, the cat possessed… magic powers. And since he was kind to the cat, he gave the powers to Orion. And Orion had a girl that he liked, and his powers helped him woo the girl.”

“What was the girl’s name?”

“Ladybug.” Chat said, dreamily, without thinking. 

Ladybug couldn’t contain her mirth anymore, and she burst into peals of laughter, startling Chat. 

“Chat, if you didn’t know the story, you could’ve just told me!”

“Was it really that obvious?”

One look at Chat’s face had Ladybug giggling again. Chat wasn’t really upset- hearing Ladybug's laugh was worth anything. He grinned at her, and on impulse, she reached up and booped his nose, making him laugh.

“We can’t really see the stars in Paris,” Chat whispered, looking back up at the sky, “But when I was little… when I was little, my mother used to drive me outside the city, as far as we could go, just to take me to see the stars. She knew the constellations, and… she probably knew the constellation stories, too, but that was a long time ago.”

The two stayed silent for a few minutes as they stared up at the sky for a few minutes. 

Ladybug raised her hand, pointing at a cloud. “That one… that one looks like a boat.”

“M’lady, I think you generally cloud gaze during the daytime.”

“Well, we can see the clouds, can’t we?”

He grinned. “Touché.” Glancing up into the night, he pointed out another cloud. “That one looks like a cat.”

She giggled. “Of course that’s what you’d see. You know, to me, it looks more like… it looks like Tikki!” 

“Your kwami?” 

“Yeah.”

He grinned, before pointing out a cloud behind them. “You know, I think that one looks a lot like you!”

She scrambled up and out of his lap and he found himself missing the contact. She glared at him, giving him a little shove, before responding. 

“It does not!”

He laughed, hugging her to his side as she pointed out another cloud. This girl was absolutely, undeniably Miraculous. 

After they’d exhausted themselves with pointing out the clouds, they settled into a comfortable silence, Ladybug leaning against him.

She shivered, slightly, as the breeze brushed her shoulders. “Ah, it’s getting a little nippy, isn’t it?” She smiled sheepishly at him, rubbing her arms up and down as she stared at the city. 

He stared. The suit didn’t look like it was much protection against the elements, and she was a bug- she couldn’t like being cold. Without thinking, he gathered her into his arms, lifting her up and into his lap, protecting her from the breeze. 

“Wha- Chat-?” She asked softly, leaning closer to him. 

“I- sorry. I wasn’t thinking- you were cold and I…” He made to move, but Ladybug stopped him.   
“No, this is… this is nice. You’re warm.” She closed her eyes, leaning her head against his chest. “I mean, as long as it’s okay with you, I-”

“No, this is okay. We’re friends. Friends cuddle.”

Ladybug relaxed into his chest, and he tentatively wrapped his arms around her. 

“Thank you, kitty,” She whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder. A lump formed in his throat, and he struggled to swallow as she sighed and relaxed into his shoulder more. 

“Anytime, M’lady.”

Her tired eyelids fluttered shut and didn’t reopen as her breathing evened out and her muscles relaxed. Chat Noir smiled, brushing a stray hair out of her face, before closing his eyes to soak up the moment. 

When he woke up with the sunrise the next morning, Ladybug was gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	17. The Third Night is the Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I don't have much to say other than enjoy and check out the other series of oneshots I've been working on!

Marinette arrived at school the next morning with the biggest grin on her face. She knew her late-night encounters with Chat Noir shouldn’t be bringing her this much joy, but they were- she wasn’t able to stop herself from smiling when she thought about the dopey cat. She couldn’t help but hope that they’d meet again. 

Kwami, she knew she should be feeling guilty. She owed it to her city to feel like shit. She should be  _ crying _ , but she still couldn’t find a way to do that. She should be feeling overwhelming grief and guilt, and really, she was, but Chat Noir made it feel... a little further away. She  _ craved _ that. She couldn’t believe she’d ever hated the silly kitty- all he was now was a sweet, dorky boy who wanted to help her. She needed that. 

Unfortunately, her good mood was not going unnoticed. “What’s up, Marinette? What’s got you so happy?” She tried to tamp down her grin for Alya, but she failed massively. 

“Oh, I don’t know. I just… I’m in a good mood!” She said honestly, but Alya raised her eyebrows at her. 

“Ooh kay… Hey, Mari. I’m really sorry about Lila. I- I know she’s a liar now, and I tried to talk to you yesterday, but…” Alya made a gesture that Marinette understood to be her trying to say Marinette was out of it yesterday. Marinette nodded. 

“No worries, Alya! Seriously. You know now, anyway.” She shrugged, scanning the courtyard for Adrien. He was jogging over to them.   
“Hi! Sorry, overslept. Wow, Marinette, you look chipper. Wait,” he exclaimed, his eyes widening comically, “Is the witch burning? Have her followers given her up?”

Marinette laughed and shook her head. “No! I’m just in a good mood, Adrien. Chill.”

“Well, good, then, ‘cause you have an appointment at my house with Avatar the Last Airbender, so…” 

Marinette grinned, taking his arm. “I’ll be there.”

* * *

The day crawled by, but eventually, Marinette found herself racing up the stairs at Adrien’s house, decidedly ignoring the study door. She was not thinking about Hawkmoth's lies, the screaming, the fire…

She ran faster, beating Adrien to his room. 

When he arrived, he was laughing as he collapsed onto the bed next to her. Marinette gave him a light shove as she sat up, observing the dopey smile on his face. 

“Well, what’s got you so happy then? You’re smiling like… I don’t know, like you’ve-”

He interrupted. “Marinette, I’m in love!” His eyes widened as he said it as if he wasn’t entirely expecting the words either. 

Marinette scrambled to face him. “Um, wow. With who, Adrien? When- when did this happen?”

He blushed fuschia, the tips of his ears turning as pink as his cheeks. Marinette had always found that incredibly endearing, but now, it was because he was in love with someone else. An odd hollowness filled her, but she shook her head, erasing it. She was supporting Adrien, no matter what. She never could’ve been his anyways. Hell, she wasn't sure if she wanted to anymore; knowing his father, knowing what she'd done... she could hardly live herself, let alone let someone else live with it.  _ Not even Adrien could love you if he knew what you really were. _

“Well…” He drawled, a dopey smile crossing his face again, “We... hated each other for a while, and I thought she was a horrible person, but… I found out something, and so did she, and we’ve been spending time together and I just… She’s incredible, Marinette.”

Marinette’s eyes widened before she gave Adrien a shove. “You are NOT falling in love with Lila, Adrien!”

“Wha- No! It’s someone else, I swear! You don’t know her!” 

Marinette let out a breath, shaking her head and collapsing on the bed. “You scared me there. So, tell me about her. What’s she like?”

Adrien launched into a long explanation, and Marinette closed her eyes, listening, but mostly letting herself drift away. Adrien had found someone to make him happy. This was good- she loved him, she felt it deep inside her, but really, she'd failed him too many times to even hope for something like that. He needed someone who hadn’t let his mother go. He needed someone who wasn’t a terrorist. Someone who wasn’t so painfully untethered that she might drift away in the breeze any second.

“...So? What about you, Mari?” She cracked an eye open to see him looking at her expectantly. “You’ve got a crush, right? Tell me about them- I’ve been talking for too long.”

Marinette closed her eyes again. “Oh. Yeah, I do. The boy I’m in love with… well, he has someone else.”

Adrien tried to interject, but Marinette kept on talking. “It’s okay though. She’s probably better for him than I am, and I want him to be happy. Besides,” She blew a stray piece of hair away from her eyes, “I’m not looking for romance anymore. I’ve got to focus on… other things.”

“Like your fashion career!” Adrien said enthusiastically. Marinette nodded absentmindedly. 

“Oh, that reminds me. Have you visited your Uni yet, Mari?!”

“Ah,” Marinette shook her head. “Not yet, no.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll love it! I can’t believe school gets out so soon- we’re almost university students, Marinette.”

Marinette smiled, but it was weak. She had been excited before, but she wasn’t even sure if she was going to college now. How could she, knowing what she had done?

She could barely suppress a groan at the thought. Only a week until graduation. 

Adrien glanced at the time and yelped in shock. “Wow, it’s getting late! I didn’t even realize…” 

Marinette sat up, quickly gathering her stuff. “Thanks for having me, Adrien, but I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” 

He smiled and waved, and Marinette left, darting out of the door and jogging all the way home. She had some preparation to do. 

She gathered some sweets in a basket from the bakery’s overflow, and with it, she placed a picnic blanket and a thermos of hot chocolate. She wasn’t sure if Chat would show up tonight, or if he liked sweets, or anything, really, but he was awfully thin. Marinette had to thank him somehow. 

Then, she waited. She wasn’t going to go before sunset- she didn’t want to seem  _ desperate _ \- but unfortunately, the sun seemed to be hovering tauntingly above the skyline. Eventually, Marinette threw caution to the wind and transformed, vaulting to the Eiffel Tower. 

She received a shock to see Chat Noir already sitting there. Her yoyo was not quiet, so he knew that she had arrived, but he didn’t turn. 

“Chat! I didn’t think you’d come so early!”

She took a seat next to him, opening the picnic basket. His gaze immediately moved from the sunset to her basket, and she laughed. 

“I brought some snacks. I hope that’s okay?” He nodded eagerly as she spread out the picnic blanket- soon, they were both sitting cross-legged on it, with the picnic basket between them. The lights of the tower lit up their food as they ate in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. 

Finally, Ladybug sighed, setting down her hot chocolate. “Do you ever feel… like we shouldn’t have been kids?”

Chat Noir looked up curiously at her. She went on. 

“I mean, I didn’t have a choice, really. I’ve had the Miraculous since childhood. But you… it was given to you, wasn’t it? Why… Why didn't they have an adult hero? You’re just a kid. No offense, I mean, but you are, and- and you risked your life every other day and probably ruined your education to save the city. What for?”

She paused, thinking. “And I… I never would’ve given up Tikki, if Hawkmoth asked. But he shouldn’t have asked me to- to risk my  _ life _ every day for his  _ lie _ . I lost my childhood to his stupid wish, you know? And maybe I don't deserve to be mad about it- maybe I dug my own grave, but I just...”

She sighed heavily, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “I… the boy I loved for years told me today that he fell in love with someone else. I’m not upset,” she hurriedly added, looking at Chat Noir’s expression, “I just think… if I wasn’t… this, it would’ve been different. I would’ve asked him out, or confessed, or something… but having a double life doesn’t really make you girlfriend material.” 

She heaved out another sigh, fiddling with the edge of the picnic blanket. “I’m really not upset now. Sorta, I mean. He… he deserves to be happy. And I can’t give that to him- I can’t bring his family back together like I thought I was going to, and I’m just so… untethered. He deserves happiness, so I’m happy for him, but it’s just… strange, you know?”

Chat Noir scooched over to her, taking her hand. She gave him a fleeting smile.

“Are you going to university?” He asked as the girl stared at the sky.

“I’m… supposed to. I got accepted to all my top schools. But I don’t know if I can just return to normal life after all of this is over, you know? I don’t know if I can…”

Chat Noir looked at her eagerly. “Join our team! Even after Hawkmoth is gone, we’ll still need help protecting the city! Ladybug, you’d be a great addition to the team, really!”

Ladybug looked at him curiously. “Really? You’d-you’d take me? I didn’t know you were serious.”

“Ladybug. You’re the best fighter out of all of us, and we don’t blame you for the mistakes your- your _abuser_ forced you to make. That’s not your fault.”

She scoffed. "He didn't really... If we're talking about abuse, we should be looking at his son. I made my choice."

Chat shook his head. "M'lady... it's- it's not your fault." The statement felt lame, but he didn't know what else to say to comfort her. 

"I… don’t know if I’ll ever believe that.” Chat looked at Ladybug- her voice had gone flat again. He squeezed her hands. 

“You know, Ladybug…” He whispered, testing the waters with his words. “You’re- you’re allowed to cry. It’s alright to-”

“Heroes don’t cry.” Her words were barely audible, but Chat knew what she said. He tried to contradict her, but she kept on speaking, making his words die in his throat. “Heroes don’t cry, Chat. I- I know that, and that-that rule was all well and good when I was a hero, but kitty…” She looked at him, and her eyes were filled with anguish, making Chat gaps. “Chat, I’m not a hero anymore. Why- why can’t I seem to cry?”

She let out a strangled yell, putting her head in her hands. “I’m- I’m  _ sad _ , Chat. I’m heartbroken. Everything I knew- everything I was fighting for-  _ gone _ . And I want to cry- I want to scream, and shout, and I want to sob and break things and  _ hurt _ people, but- but I can’t, Chat. Every time I try I go numb. Why- why can’t I cry?”

Chat didn’t have an answer for her. All he could do was hold her as she stared out at the horizon, a hollowness in her eyes that he didn’t know how to fill. 

Eventually, Ladybug sighed, sitting up straighter and looking back at Chat. “You- your team would really take me?”

Chat nodded enthusiastically, glad she'd found her voice again. “Not only are you just an awesome fighter, M’lady, but you’re a good person. And personally, I like you a lot.”

Ladybug smiled, looking back up at the sky. 

“How’d you learn to fight like that, anyway?” Chat asked, jarring her back to reality. 

“Oh. Yeah. Hawkmoth- as soon as he learned I had the Ladybug Miraculous, he put me in fighting programs and stuff to prepare me for battle. I took some martial arts, fencing, gymnastics, you name it.” She shrugged, but the weight of the statement was not lost on Chat.

“How- how old were you, Ladybug?”

“Seven, I think. He didn’t know what we would be battling for at that point- she hadn’t disappeared- but yeah. That’s when I started classes.” She laughed hollowly. "It's funny. It looks like no matter what, I would've ended up here. He would've recruited me one way or another, I guess."

Chat tried to conceal the horror on his face. Finding himself unable to, he started talking again. He reached for the ribbons in her hair as he spoke, taking out her pigtails and combing through her tangles. She relaxed into his touch.

“You know, I see what you mean about the... childhood thing. I didn't really have much freedom to begin with, but with being Chat added on top... There were some school events that were interrupted by akuma, and I wasn’t really allowed to go to many of those, so it was unfortunate when I had to leave to go fight. We had a really epic school dance this year, and I ended up missing it because of an all-nighter.”

“Hey! The same thing happened to me!”  
“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Silence prevailed for a few moments before Chat Noir jumped up, grinning. “Well, I can’t fix your boy troubles, but I can take you dancing! What do you say, M’lady?”

Ladybug looked skeptical. “Right here?”

“Yup. This is the most romantic spot in Paris, you know.”

She shook her head. “Oh, Chat, I don’t know…”

“It’ll be fun, M’lady!”

“I’m not much of a dancer, Chat, I’m not sure if…”

He gave her a cheeky grin and held out his hand. “That’s alright! I’ll lead. And I’ll have you know that I’m the purrfect pawtner.”

Ladybug laughed and took his hand. “We’ll see about that, Kitty-cat.”

Chat smirked. He pulled out his staff, and with a few taps, he had a soft waltz playing in the background. He bowed dramatically, and she laughed, curtsying. 

“So put your hands here, and- yes- here,” He smiled at her blushing face as he guided her hand to his shoulder. He held her other one, giving it a small squeeze before he began moving.

“A waltz is very simple. It’s a three-step, see- one two three, one two three,” He guided her gently through the steps. It took a second, but she caught on, and soon they were moving in a consistent back and forth pattern. 

“This… isn’t too bad.” She flashed him a shy grin through her blush, and he felt the tips of his ears turn pink. 

“Alright, now’s the hard part.” He was whispering in her ear, his heart beating as a crescendo. She shivered, and pressed closer to him. “We’re going to start spinning now, alright?”

She nodded, her chin resting on his shoulder, and they started slow circles around the beams of the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug laughed as they spun, a sound that made his heart flutter. Her hair floated in the wind and caught the moonlight: she was absolutely breathtaking when she was dancing like this. They danced as if they were suspended on air; bathed in the city lights and so far about the rest of the world, it truly felt like they were. They spun faster as the music picked up, and faster, and faster, no longer caring about the pace of the song. They spun and danced until they became dizzy, and until Ladybug tripped, sending both of them sprawling over. For half a second, Ladybug was lying on Chat’s chest, her lips suspended an inch about his, but then she had rolled away on her back and was giggling, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glowing with the starlight of a million skies. 

Chat smiled. He  _ loved _ that laugh. 

“Thank you, Chat,” She whispered, tilting her head so it made contact with his shoulder. “Thank you.”

He looked at her. She was staring up at the dim starlight with her eyes, which were still laughing, and her lips moved with every breath. Kwami, she was just so beautiful. It hurt him to see her hurt- he wanted her to be this breathlessly happy always. 

“Always, M’lady.” He whispered back, kissing the crown of her head. “Always.”

When he woke up with the sunrise the next morning, Ladybug was still cuddled up next to him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Are you interested in reading, writing, or drawing Miraculous fanworks? Are you interested in joining a community of kind and supportive people? Then the [ Miraculous Fanworks](https://discord.gg/wcQvjyg) discord server is for you! We're always welcoming of new members, and it's a great place to read, write, and draw and receive support!


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